A False Utopia
by Utopia Aether
Summary: Utopia Academy is an educational institution situated in the Lunar City that offers admission to only the best of the best. Each academic year, the staff of Utopia Academy choose 18 talented high school students they call the "Utopic" students. This year, Utopia Academy celebrates a century of existence, and open its gates yet again for the newest batch of students. (SYOC CLOSED)
1. Prologue I

_**PROLOGUE – THE 100**_ _ **TH**_ _ **CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY**_

Looking back at the day, it was a pretty crazy day filled with lots of events. I mean, for starters, I woke up very early, at around 6 AM. After all, I needed to prepare everything for any potential high school entrance examinations.

First thing I did was to clean my room. I did not want harmful bacteria to start culminating in my bedroom.

Second, I checked all of my textbooks and studying materials. I had to arrange my scattered books. Since I studied for potential high school entrance exams.

Third, I headed downstairs and got some dog food to feed Dino. For your information, he's my adorable Pomeranian. He's definitely the cutest animal alive.

Fourth, I went to the kitchen to help out my mother cook breakfast. My mother always wakes up early as well to prepare our breakfast, so it's only natural that I help her out.

After helping out my mother and waking up my brother, I went back to my room and checked my E-mail. Mostly invitations to science high school, some offers of scholarship, and… a Utopia Academy invitation letter.

I blinked once. Then twice. Then thrice. After that, I silently meditate just to calm down my over reactive nerves. Well, it's a natural reaction to be nervous and excited when one is invited to attend the most famous school in the entire world. Well, the school itself isn't actually on Earth, but it's still famous here. Yes, that's right. I got an acceptance letter to attend the one, and only…

Utopia Academy. Literally the apex of education, the very mention of this outrageously extravagant and massive school sends normal students packing. Why? Well first of all, it's in _outer space._ Specifically on the moon. Whoever thought of the idea that the best school in the entire planet should be on the moon is pretty insane. No, scratch that. Really insane. Second reason is that Utopia Academy accepts only the best students. Meaning, you have to the best in your field. And to make things worse, they only accept 18 students each school year. Talk about exclusive. And I am a part of those 18. And oh, Utopia Academy is now celebrating its 100th year! It's been around since the year 2900. It has a great deal of history, and has always sent out the best graduates, and they become great people in the world. Like our current Prime Minister, Yoshitaka Imaishi. He was the "Utopic Presidential Heir" during his time as a student of Utopia Academy. Or even the world famous movie star Joe Davis! He's an American, but managed to enter Utopia Academy as the "Utopic Movie Star"!

So you're probably wondering what the field that I'm the best in is. Well first of all, my name is Miku Shishido. I am a simple high school girl who sees the world in a more complicated way than most teenagers. Well maybe simple is a lie. You see, I am in Utopia Academy as the "Utopic Geneticist". My skill in genetic engineering and science was enough for me to be recognized as the best in the world. I showed the world my first genetically revived dinosaur 4 years ago, in 2996 at the World Science Convention that took place in London. All of the famous scientists in the world were there to witness my most extravagant work. Looking back at that moment, it is a good thing that the I revived didn't attack anyone… But enough about myself. To be invited to enroll in Utopia Academy is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any high school student out there. So I instantly took the chance. No one in the right mind would decline that offer.

But since I'll be in outer space, I can only go home once a week at most. I'll miss my adorable Dino. My younger brother too. And my parents too, of course. I also heard that the dorms serve top-class food and have state-of-the-art facilities.

So after composing myself, I stormed off my room, showed my family the E-mail and of course there was much rejoicing. At least I knew what high school to attend. So I spent the rest of the day readying for next week. I literally cannot contain my excitement for next week! So with all those thoughts in my head, I sleep for the night.

* * *

 **Apex here! Here we are, in yet ANOTHER SYOC in the DR fandom. I just couldn't resist the urge to write one, so there. Also, apologies to anyone following my other fanfic, the crossover story "Danganronpa: Multiversal Despair". I just kinda lost interest in writing it overall, but I will return to it soon. (Very soon) Right now, it's in a hiatus. SO! Enough about things that isn't about this fic. There will be a total of 18 "Utopic" students. Now to establish order, we need rules around these parts. READ THESE GUIDELINES CAREFULLY.**

 **UPDATE* I'm taking someone's suggestion to lower the class roster. So, I'll make it 18 instead. Again, no rush! I'll be choosing the best I can find!**

 **RULES**

 **1\. NO OC SUBMISSIONS IN THE REVIEWS. I'm truly sorry for the ones without accounts, but how will I ever contact you about your character? I will ask a lot of things regarding your OC (I want to make them in-character). If you want to submit a character, then make an account.**

 **2\. If your OC dies, then I'm truly sorry for your loss. This is a Danganronpa fanfiction; not really in the same universe, but still a DR fic. No buts, okay? Besides, when you submit an OC to me, it's like you acknowledge the fact that your OC may be a culprit or a victim.**

 **3\. THIS IS IMPORTANT. NO REUSED OCs. Seriously, just don't bother. I am a frequent lurker of the DR Fanfiction archive, so if I see that the OC you submitted is in another fic, then I will reject your OC on the spot. However, if you really want to submit an old OC for various reasons, (Your OC died in another fic; the story your OC is in is never going to update again, etc.) then at least rename them and change their appearance and/or talent. But again, this is discouraged. Please try to submit a fresh, new character as much as possible.**

 **4\. Canon talents are allowed. However, try to be unique. Having a unique talent boosts the chance of acceptance. If you want, I can give you some talents. This was originally going to be a story consisting entirely of my OCs, so I got a lot of talents in my mind.**

 **5\. As Utopia Academy is a Japanese institution, I will only accept Japanese OCs. However, I may accept one or two foreigner/s, depending on the quality. But I would like more Japanese OCs, please.**

 **6\. Be detailed. Don't just give out a few descriptive words for a character's personality. Give your OC some flavor. And please describe their appearance well, too. It doesn't hurt to be detailed, right?**

 **7\. Do the research. Is there a particular talent you want your OC to have? Don't be lazy. Research. I will also be researching the final roster of talents, so that I can understand them better.**

 **8\. One OC per user for now, unless you want to submit siblings. If I get few submissions, then I will allow the others who already submitted an OC to submit another one.**

 **9\. Lastly, be creative and have fun making your OC. Like what Albert Einstein said: "Imagination is more important than Knowledge". Don't rush your OCs as well. I want well-thought out characters. We all do. And no, this is not first-come first-serve. Take your time, because time is gold.**

 **Now, the OC Form! It's also in my profile, by the way. You know, so that you can copy-paste… So go, make some OCs! Apex out!**

 **A False Utopia OC Form**

 ***UPDATE* The accessories section are for accessories only. All the students will be wearing the official Utopia Academy uniform. (Yes, it's a strict school)**

 **Part 1 - Basic Data**

 **Name: (First, Last)**

 **Nickname:**

 **Age: (Remember, these kids are High school freshmen. My preferred age range is 14-17, but you can go all the way to Hagakure's age, at maximum.)**

 **Gender:**

 **Birthday:**

 **Zodiac Sign:**

 **Short Bio: (Give me a short summary of his/her attitude and personality. Can be around 3-10 sentences. Oh, and please keep this spoiler-free. AKA no secrets.)**

 **Part 2 - Appearance**

 **Hair style and Color: (I'm allowing crazy hair colors like purple, green or blue. It IS the future already. But no Yugioh-like hairstyles!)**

 **Eye color: (You can make them have heterochromia, if you want)**

 **Build and Skin Complexion:**

 **Other Noticeable features:**

 **Accesories:**

 **Part 3 - Personality**

 **Personality: (DETAIL IS YOUR BEST FRIEND HERE. Make it as long as you want; just make sure it won't surpass the word limit.)**

 **Speeches Mannerisms and Habits:**

 **Likes: (At least 5)**

 **Dislikes: (Same as dislikes)**

 **What kind of people would they get along with?:**

 **What kind of people would they not get along with?:**

 **Open to Romance?: (If yes, then what is their preferred gender/their sexuality and what kind of person they would like to share a romantic relationship with? And if no, why? Also, do note that this aspect will not have a major role)**

 **Mental Illnesses: (If any)**

 **Part 4 - Background**

 **Backstory: (Make it detailed and concise. Also, put how they earned their talent. Only the best of the best go to Utopia Academy. Their achievements must be international and revolutionary, or at least known nation-wide in their country. For more information, this is taking place in the year 3000. There are no aliens, humans haven't invented FTL travel yet and no time travel. There is however Mechas, self-sustaining spacecrafts, holograms, teleportation, levitating cars, and a city on the moon.)**

 **Deepest Secret: (Can be incredibly mundane or nightmarishly dark)**

 **Strengths: (Everyone has strengths. Even the most repulsive humans have.)**

 **Weaknesses: (No one's perfect. Also, no Gary Stus and Mary Sues.)**

 **Quotes: (Give me some lines that can define his/her character.)**

 **Part 5 - Utopia Academy/Killing Game Information**

 **Utopic Title: (Be unique! Think out of the box! Also, no extreme talents, please. So no Rapist, Drug lord, Prostitute, etc. (I am allowing Mafias, Assassins and other combat/killing related talents, however)**

 **Role in Investigations: (Not everyone is a Kirigiri.)**

 **Role in Trials: (Also, not everyone is a Hagakure.)**

 **Reaction if they saw a corpse:**

 **What could motivate them to kill?: (This is pretty important, since Danganronpa motives are hard to make.)**

 **Execution: (Please fill this up. It's hard to think up of these things, and I need your help guys.)**

 **If they were the culprit, how will they act?: (Will they be still the same? Or will they be more fidgety?)**

 **Part 6 - RP your OC**

 **Headmaster: Greetings! I am your headmaster. In this interview, all information will be only between the two of us, and it is confidential. May I hear your name and title?**

 **-Response:**

 **Headmaster: Ah, I see. Okay, now the first question! What is your first impression of Utopia Academy?**

 **-Response:**

 **Headmaster: That's an interesting way to describe it! Next, do you believe that you are worthy of your Utopic Title?**

 **-Response:**

 **Headmaster: Okay! Next, the third question. Are you comfortable to fact that you will be studying and staying in outer space?**

 **-Response:**

 **Headmaster: Haha! I assure you, the Academy is safe. We have powerful mechas patroling the entire school! Made by an alumni of Utopia Academy, of course!**

 **-Response:**

 **Headmaster: *Ahem* Now, for my last question. For you, what is a "Utopia"? No using the dictionary, please. Define it in your own view and words.**

 **-Response:**

 **Headmaster: Okay, we're done here now. You must be tired. You may now leave. I hope you have a great time in Utopia Academy!**

 **-Response:**

 **Part 7 - Other Information**

 **If there anything I missed, feel free to add it here!**

 **Others:**

 **Check my profile for the list of accepted OCs!**


	2. Prologue II

**Apex here...**

 **Well, I'm back. After like what, more than seven months? And to everyone that was excited about this fic, so sorry. I truly am. I had to wait for my beta reader to read my draft and they were out for a long time. I don't blame them though. So, I hope this chapter is good enough. Now the next chapter MIGHT come out next week but... Don't count on it. I'm trying so hard to adjust since college suddenly cranked up in difficulty. But I'm working on the next chapter already, so that should give you guys some hope right?**

 **Without further ado, here we go!**

* * *

 _ **PROLOGUE - THE 100TH CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY/2**_

"Taxi! Over here, please."

A yellow taxi stopped by the sidewalk near me, and I asked the driver to help me with my luggage. Afterwards, I entered the taxi. Upon looking at me, he widens his eyes in surprise, looking at my white and black uniform.

"Wow, you're a Utopia Academy student? That's nice, kiddo," the taxi driver says, flashing a smile. "So, to the Grand Portal?" I nod, and he faces away from me to start to drive.

"Alright, here we go!" The taxi hovered away, zooming across the city. I looked at the scenery through the window, deep in thought. I'll be away from Earth for a while, so this might be one of the few moments where I can look at the scenery. So many hovermobiles are flying about, and a lot of people are walking in and out of various buildings, despite it being 5 AM. I also spot numerous robots fly around and some androids walk around too. I'll be visiting Earth every weekend, but why do I feel like this will be the last time I will be seeing Earth? Weird.

Knowing that the trip will take a while, I decided to pass the time by watching some stuff from my holophone. I then click "Videos", and clicked "History of the Millennium". It's a documentary that celebrates our 3000th year as a civilization. Except for the fact that human civilization lived even before the year 1, most of it was historically correct. I insert my headphones and play the video.

"In the past millennia, humanity has advanced further and further. We were able to retrieve some really old files that dated back during the early 2000s." That's very old. What happened that time again?

"During sometime between the years 2010 to 2012, humanity was struck by "The Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind", an event so catastrophic that nearly resulted in the extinction of humanity itself. The documents say that it was an organization called "Future Foundation" that saved the Earth." That's rather horrifying. With a name like that, it is obviously an extinction-class event. Humanity must have gone back to the Stone Age, then!

"This past millennium, humanity has tried to regain its lost achievements, and little by little, technology has restored Earth by the early 2200s. Humanity was able to stand up again after nearly 2 centuries. It is thanks to the Future Foundation that Earth has regained its full glory." Wow. How did we restore such great technological prowess in under 200 years?

"But conflict broke out in the peace, and eventually the planet was plunged into another war; the World War 3. It started from 2207 to 2303, nearly a century. It was the most catastrophic of all wars. The number of casualties was almost immeasurable, and roughly 3/4th of the world's population was eradicated. Humanity has halted progress once again." If I remember my History lessons right, the World War 3 was started by the Future Foundation, the very same "hope" that saved the world nearly a millennium ago.

"Because the planet was infected by toxic nuclear residue, humanity and some animals took refuge underground, deep beneath the surface. These times would be known as the "Underground Age", and humanity was able to preserve the old cultures and ways of previous countries intact. People in this age reproduced many old documents to warn the future, which is us, about their stories and hardships to preserve the way Earth is now. After two centuries of staying underground, humanity has once again entered the surface, only to find Earth almost completely barren. This would be called the "Barren Age", and lasted from the early 2500s to the early 2600s."

"After reproducing plants and other life-forms, humanity began to rise from the ashes, and began the age where humans would truly rise up from the ashes. This period, which lasts until now, is the "Reemergence Age". A lot of scientific marvels have been achieved for the past 4 centuries. During the 28th century, humanity has returned to where it was during the early 21st century. Eventually, humanity has returned as the dominant species on Earth." I really hope that there will be no more major extinction-class events…

"And in the year 2834, the first light speed spaceship was made. The Wayfarer, until now, is still looking for other intelligent life-forms across the universe. In 2868, the Lunar City was built, and then Utopia Academy in the year 2900. So many advancements in-"

"Miss, we're here now."

I stopped the video and looked out the window. Well that took some time, didn't it?

"Oh, thanks mister. Here's the payment!" I exclaim, getting some money from my wallet and then I paid the driver. I then go to the back of the taxi and opened the trunk and picked up my things. Closing it, he waves his hand at me as a sign of goodbye.

"Thanks! Now be careful there, missy," The man says, and he drove. And now, I stand in front of the Grand Portal building. I'm almost there. With high spirits, I entered the building connecting to the Grand Portal.

* * *

 **GRAND PORTAL**

As soon as I entered, a police officer stopped me before I could wander any further. He looks at my uniform, then smiles. "A freshman at Utopia Academy, right?" I nod in response.

"Mam, please show us your E-mail so we can verify your identity. Many posers have worn fake Utopia Academy uniforms just to enter, I'll have you know," the police officer commanded. Really? Wow, that must be a nuisance to deal with. I rummage my bag, searching for the E-mail that was delivered to me. Finally finding it, I produced my handy Holo-Mail, and opened it to show the officer a hologram of my E-mail. He took a look at it, and then let me go through. "You may enter." Feeling rather excited, I zoomed away with haste.

Finally, I arrived at the Grand Portal. A hyperspace wormhole that directly connects to the Lunar City! It is a fascinating piece of technology. Of course, this is all property of Utopia Academy, so of course it's state-of-the-art. After marvelling at the sight of the portal, I spot a bench and decided to sit down. Sighing, I put down my bags and give myself a little air. But more importantly, where are they?

I took out my holophone to call Kensuke. He told me that he will be arriving here, since he's also a Utopic student.

"Where is his number?" I mutter to myself while I scroll through my contacts.

RING!

"Yipes!" I screamed and nearly dropped my phone. Thank goodness there aren't many people around here to see me like this. Back to the phone. It's… Mom? I click the green call button and a hologram popped, and I see my mom with my brother and my father behind her.

"Hello, sweetie! Since you went so early, your brother and father would like to say one last goodbye!" Mom said happily, and made way for Kenta and dad.

"Hey, sis! Remember to always study! They say Utopia Academy's education is hard! So try to keep up!" I chuckle at my brother's words.

"Really? You're telling ME to study? I always do that!" I say lightheartedly. Truly, I can only act like this around my family. I'm usually stoic around other people…

"Remember Miku, don't fail any exams and don't upset the mechas! And always eat breakfast! It's the most important meal of the day!" Dad always treats me like a kid, but I guess I'll let it slide for now.

"Of course, dad! I promise to do my best! I'll try to go home every Saturday!" I exclaim. My family members smiled back at me.

"Oh, and don't forget Dino! Come here boy, come here! Miku is on the phone!" At the mention of my name, Dino comes running towards the holographic screen and tries to lick the hologram representation of me. Aw, he's so adorable…

"Dino, you're licking nothing!"

"ARFF! ARFF!" Dino then playfully runs around, much to the amusement of us all. After that, they say their last good lucks.

"Always be safe, sweetie!"

"You gotta come home at least once a week, sis! I still need some tutoring from you!"

"Call us immediately if there's anything wrong, okay Miku?"

I smiled at them. Truly, one's family members are always there for you.

"See ya!" I say as I quit the call and put my phone back in my purse. Now that was just what I needed. Now all I need is-

"Miku?"

That voice. The voice of the one boy I truly love. I'm so happy he's here.

"Kensuke!" I say aloud, but not too loudly. Whenever I'm around people other than my family, I try to keep a stoic façade. Makes me look cool. But when he's around, I feel like I'm losing control. His spiky apple-red hair... His perfect square shaped face… His tall and slim figure… His mature and cool voice… His wonderful green eyes… He is so handsome… Kensuke Kazama is the most wonderful person I've ever met. For a Utopic Animal Tamer, he's very charming. Oh, and he's also my childhood friend.

"So, how do you feel about this? You know, the fact that we're going to Utopia Academy," Kensuke says as he puts down his bags and takes a seat across me. He's so dreamy...

"I feel honored, of course," I reply to him, too shy to look at him directly in the eyes. "So, um… Did you come here alone, perchance?" If I remember correctly, Suzumi should be with him.

"Miku! Oh, how I missed you! It's been a while!" my golden haired rival and friend exclaimed while giving me a death hug. Yup, I'm also childhood friends with Suzumi Tomoe, the Utopic Teen Idol.

"Gack- Suzumi, I can't breathe-!"

"Hey, Suzumi. I think you're choking Miku," Kensuke says with concern, but maintains a smiling face. Upon hearing his words, Suzumi immediately removes her death hug on me and apologizes frantically.

"Oh! Sorry, Miku! I completely forgot you are smaller than me!" Suzumi says apologetically, but did she really have to mention my lack of size? Sighing, I straighten my clothes to remove the creases and face her. I actually really like the official uniform of Utopia Academy. And she had to go and mess it up.

Oh, and speaking of the uniform? Kensuke looks good in it, with all the white and black color scheme, and with that jacket as well, and his personal cap that says "Kazama Animal Rehabilitation Center".

I then turn to Suzumi again, thinking what I should say to her. But seriously, why am I so unfortunate to have a love rival like Suzumi? She's got everything! Her intellect is not as high as mine, but she's still a straight A student despite having Idol work! And not to mention her looks, as well! Her long, gold hair complements her bright blue eyes, and has the figure of an angel. Her skin is so radiant as well; It's a no-brainer why she has hordes of male (And maybe some female) admirers.

Suzumi is a few inches taller than me, but her figure is just gorgeous. Her three sizes? Well, whatever they are, she's got everything that I lack. In fact, I'm only superior in one department! Intellect! But I fail to notice that Suzumi is waiting for me to say something.

"Hmm? Is there a problem Miku?" I instantly shift away my gaze, my face glowing red with embarrassment. This is not good…

"N-no, nothing! A-anyway, it's nice to meet you again, Suzumi. May I know how you're coping with idol work?" I asked.

"Well, it's pretty tough, but I can take it~" Suzumi says while doing her trademark "Tough it Out!" pose; she places one hand on her hip and raises her other arm to shoulder level and flexes it. I can see why she's so popular with everyone though. She's basically a goddess from another plane of existence, disguised as a human. And her bust is rather- Oh, who cares!?

"The three of us are here now, so why don't we head to the moon?" Kensuke suggests as he stands up and picks up his bags. "The others might be there already." But that's unlikely! We came here so early that I doubt the others are there.

"Yuppers, I agree! Let's go towards the moon!" Suzumi beams enthusiastically and in one swift motion, picks up her bags and merrily makes her way towards the portal. I stand up too and get my things. It's about time we entered the moon city. While walking, Kensuke and I share some little small talk.

"So, is this your first time going to the Lunar City? I'll admit, it's my first time and I'm a bit nervous," Kensuke confesses, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. The great "Nerves of Titanium" Kensuke is nervous?

"It's also my first time, but I'm more thrilled than nervous," I say softly, but loud enough for Kensuke to hear me. He chuckles a bit and we share a rather sweet moment… And that's where Suzumi cuts the moment short.

"You guys~! You're too slow! Move those legs and shoot for the moon!" Suzumi then points at the portal. "Literally! Hehehe!" That was kinda corny. But Kensuke finds it funny. Darn it.

"Well, I guess we're going to head to the Lunar City now. You girls ready?" Both Suzumi and I nodded and then we all took our first step to the portal.

"Utopia Academy, here we come…!"

"GERONIMO!" Suzumi yells as she literally lunged into the portal.

* * *

 **LUNAR CITY – PORTAL HALL**

Immediately after we stepped into the Grand Portal, we are greeted by a much more futuristic looking hall. I mean, technology back on Earth was already amazing, but in here I'm talking about more high-tech stuff. Around the hall is a white, pearly finish with dozens of droids and people roaming about. When I looked outside the window, I could see Earth.

"Wow! Check this out, guys!" Suzumi says cheerily, running up towards the window like a kid. Kensuke and I decided to follow her. And I do not regret looking at the view.

"From here, you can see hundreds of satellites, mechas, stars and even the Earth itself. We've really reached such a grand milestone in humanity, huh?" Kensuke says, marveling at the sight.

The black cosmos was filled with numerous stars, and from there dozens of mechas are flying about, most likely guarding the city. And just beyond there is Earth. We were there just seconds ago, and suddenly we're approximately 384,000 km away from the big blue orb of life. It was truly something. After marveling the sight of the cosmos for a while, Suzumi turned away and faced us.

"So, what do you say to heading to Utopia Academy? A great idea?" Suzumi says excitedly, jumping from feet to feet. Did she consume too much caffeine? For an idol, she sure is hyper.

"Of course. Come on, let's head out towards the academy. I do want to meet our classmates," Kensuke suggests, and of course Suzumi and I oblige. As we headed our way to the main door, an assistance droid comes up to us and greets us.

"Good day, sir and madams. I can see that all three of you are wearing the official uniform of Utopia Academy. To proceed to Utopia Academy, please exit this building and head to the right. There, you can catch the hover taxis going to Utopia Academy," The assistance droid said, and the three of us nodded and we exited the building.

"Wow, we can see the cosmos outside those giant ceilings!" Suzumi says, taking notice of the artificial sky above us. It looks like a planetarium. Yet, even without a morning sky, the plants can still live here.

"Excuse me," A young man's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I whirl around to see who owns that voice.

The owner of the voice is a young bespectacled man of average height, has black hair styled in bob cut and purple eyes. But the most distinguishing feature was his clothing, which was the same monochrome colored uniform of Utopia Academy. This guy is definitely a Utopic student.

"I can see that you're all fellow Utopic students. Greetings! I am Dexter Miles, the Utopic Intellectual Genius!" He's a foreigner? Wow, he must be really lucky to be able to enter Utopia Academy. And his Japanese is so fluent! "I'll have you know that I'm an exchange student from Avalon Academy!" Avalon Academy? That's all the way in London! I remember that place. That was where I showcased my revived T. Rex! Dexter then looks at me thoroughly, as if analyzing me.

"I have a feeling I know you, madam. May I know your name and Utopic title?" Yeah, he's seen me. Probably one of the audience during my showcase in London.

"Miku Shishido. Utopic Geneticist." He's kinda weird, and has this certain aura, but he seems like a nice guy. I smell arrogance from him, though. Or maybe it's just his "smart guy" persona.

"I knew it! You were that young lass who revived that Tyrannosaurus Rex during the World Science Convention in Avalon Academy!" Dexter says in awe. "Marvelous! This is most splendid, to meet another fellow genius! But of course, I'm willing to prove I'm smarter than you!" Wow. I could describe this guy with various adjectives, but somehow I can't find those words.

"Oh, so you know her, Dexter? Well that's great to hear. I'm Kensuke Kazama, the Utopic Animal Tamer." He then moves his hand toward Dexter's for a handshake, which he accepts.

"I'm Suzumi Tomoe, the Utopic Teen Idol! Hope we can be friends~" Again with her cutesy pose. Well, I guess she enjoys her Idol work a lot.

"I see! I am very glad that you people are of decent status! I knew Utopia Academy would be filled with intellectual people, even if they aren't as intelligent as me! Truly a school for the elite, such as myself most especially!" After that, he nods and adjusts his glasses.

"Well, it seems including Miss Harukaze, we are 5. Only one more student left and we can go on the hover taxi!" Oh, so he was just waiting for more students. Considering that hover taxis carry a total of 6 passengers, it's only logical to wait for more people to come.

"Um, Dexter? Who is this Harukaze you are speaking of?" Kensuke asks. Dexter immediately brightens up, and then went on ahead to the waiting shed. "This way, fellow classmates!" We all look at each other, and then we followed him.

In the hover taxi docks, I can see that Dexter is currently conversing with a girl in the Utopia Academy uniform. A very pretty girl. Dexter notices us and urges us to come near.

"I strongly suggest you introduce yourselves to her, my fellow classmates." I take a good look at this new girl. She has long black hair that was adorned with a big bow that makes her resemble a cat… somehow. She had blue eyes, and has healthy, white skin. Darn, why does every girl have to be 10 times prettier than me…?

"Oh, I see some new faces," The black haired lady says enthusiastically, clapping her hands together in joy. "But where are my manners? My name is Harukaze Medici, the Utopic Spirit Medium. It is an honor to meet you all." I never knew a girl like her existed. She's almost perfect! Suzumi immediately shakes her hand vigorously and smiles widely.

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Suzumi Tomoe! I'm the Utopic Teen Idol!"

"I'm Kensuke Kazama. I'm here as the Utopic Animal Tamer," Kensuke introduces himself in the most polite way you could think of.

"Miku Shishido. Geneticist," I say softly, still deep in thought. How come I've never heard of her? She must be very popular to be accepted here in Utopia, right? Or does fame not matter and only the impact of the achievements? And Medici? Is she a half-Italian? Upon hearing all of our introductions, she smiles brightly and shakes each of our hands.

"I'm happy to have met you all. I truly hope that the time we will spend together will be fruitful." My first impressions on Harukaze is that she's a gentle and pure soul, fitting her title of the Utopic Spirit Medium. But why do I feel like there's more than meets the eye when it comes to her…?

"Um, e-excuse me…" A timid voice rang out, and we all faced the source. Another Utopia student!

"Yes, what is wrong?" Dexter asks firmly, being rather uptight and strict, I see.

"W-well, I heard that we can reach the academy through here…" The new kid is a short boy with a very pale complexion. In fact, I wonder if he even goes out of his house. He wears glasses, has a very light shade of blue colored hair that can be mistaken as white, and is wearing the official Utopia academy uniform. And he's also very small and frail-looking. But he's still taller than me, around an inch taller to be exact.

"Yuppers! That's correct, these taxis will lead us to Utopia Academy. And you're just who we need, we needed one more person!" Suzumi declared rather loudly and happily, slightly surprising the new kid. Harukaze went near him and bowed her head.

"Greetings, fellow classmate. I am Harukaze Medici, the Utopic Spirit Medium. May we know your name?" Wow, so respectful! She's definitely a pure soul.

"O-oh, o-of course. Um, I'm Yuki Akiyama. I'm the… Utopic Therapist," The boy, named Yuki, introduced himself in a meek way. Obviously he's a shy guy.

"Listen up, for you will the name of a person with an IQ of over 300!" What's with that overblown ego…? "I am Dexter Miles, the Utopic Intellectual Genius from London!" Yuki… actually looks impressed. Whether it's from his IQ or his fluency in Japanese, I'll never know.

"Suzumi Tomoe, Utopic Teen Idol, at your service!" Suzumi introduced herself while flashing her signature smile. Yuki smiles brightly at her, suggesting that he knows her. That's to be expected, she is the Utopic Teen Idol.

"I'm Kensuke Kazama, Utopic Animal Tamer. This here is Miku Shishido, the Utopic Geneticist. She's a rather silent type, so I hope you can get along with her and us too," Kensuke introduced himself, and even went as far as to introduce me to him. What a gentleman.

"W-wow, it's a pleasure to meet you all!" Yuki says cheerfully. "S-so, you said something about having one more person…"

"Oh, of course! We can inform the droid driving this vehicle!" Dexter said, hitting his palm with his fist. "We're ready to go to Utopia Academy now, sir Android!"

"Okay, then please sit down on the seats. We will be leaving in a bit." I tried to sit beside Kensuke, but I ended up sitting beside Yuki. Oh well, I can still see him from my seat anyways…

"U-um, Miku?" Yuki stuttered, looking at me with a weird look in his face.

"Yes…?"

"Um, do you, perhaps…" Yuki suddenly trailed off, as if contemplating if he should continue or not.

"What?" I ask, curious about whatever he's going to ask of me.

"U-uh, sorry. I-I mean, never mind! It was just a useless question…" Yuki said in defeat, giving up on whatever he was going to ask of me. Oh well, if he won't ask anything, then I'll just look at the beautiful sights of the Lunar City.

"Destination: Utopia Academy."

And with that, the hovermobile hovered away, and we were heading towards Utopia Academy.

* * *

 **Wow, you read this far? Thanks for still reading this even though its been so long and you guys probably lost all hope in me... But I'll stay positive! For you guys.**

 **(To those who submitted OCs but didn't get in; I'm truly sorry. Maybe those OCs have a better chance in other SYOCs.)**

 **Kiwikowa - Of course Dino's cute; He's a Pomeranian! And yes, I really wanted to try a Sci-Fi setting.**

 **bluemoonbutterfly - Good luck indeed. :( It's not easy writing this. Thanks! And your OC is in!**

 **Aviator Capi - Aww, I'm sure your OC was awesome. Sorry about that. But thanks for trying out this sucky-, I mean Sci-Fi fanfic!**

 **Headphone Jack - "Seems like you're keeping very focused on it!" *seven months later* Huh. Focused. I'm so sorry for ruining your expectations, but I really do want to continue this fic! Thanks for reviewing.**

 **Apex out, I guess.**


	3. Prologue III

**Apex here! Here's the next chapter. To everyone who has their OC in this story, please check your Inbox if you haven't already. I asked a few questions regarding your OCs. Anyways, this here is another chapter with more characters. And I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long.**

 **Without further ado, here we go!**

* * *

 ** _PROLOGUE - THE 100TH CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY/3_**

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – MAIN GATE**

"We're here."

After taking in the beautiful sights of numerous ball droids, androids, security mechas and other hover taxis fill the Lunar City with life; our hover taxi finally arrived at the center of it all. We all got out of the taxi and gaze at the opened gates of Utopia Academy. All I can say is…

"It's colossal…" I say, mesmerized by the sheer size of the academy.

The giant gates had an ornate-looking pattern to them, and had some sort of drawing that depicts the Solar System. Looking beyond the gate, I see a giant hallway that leads into the main building which was mostly painted in two colors; a glossy black and a shiny white. The Utopia Academy symbol can be seen painted on the middle building, which was taller than the rest of the buildings.

I can't see everything, but I immediately take note to always bring a map of the academy every day. Without one, I'd be lost all the time. It is easily the most massive educational institute I have ever seen-even more massive than the goliath that is Avalon Academy. To take that into perspective, it is like comparing a hut to a mansion; Avalon Academy being the former and Utopia Academy being the latter.

"My word! This academy is absolutely enormous!" Dexter exclaims, marveling at the sight of the academy. "And to think that this is just the front building! Simply amazing! The architecture to construct this institution must have been very hard to recreate!"

"It's bigger than I thought," Kensuke admits, scanning the entire front building. "Though I believe the school is this big because this is the only one on the moon, so the founders could do anything with it. I could be wrong though."

"I'm SUPER DUPER ecstatic! Come on, let's meet our other classmates!" Suzumi exclaimed, jumping up and down like an overly enthusiastic child. She then grabs Kensuke by his hand and drags him, saying, "Let's go, go, go!" I can never hope to even approach Suzumi's level of speed. She's like a cheetah on a sugar rush.

"Yuki, would you like to accompany me as we introduce ourselves to the others?" The spirit medium says politely and softly, most likely trying not to freak out the otherwise fragile boy.

"S-sure! Let's go then," Yuki says with a smile, and then they walk towards the academy as well.

Now all I'm left with is Dexter. Ugh.

"Well then, Miku! Shall we step forward into the academy of paradise?" Dexter asks me in a rather extravagant way. Oh well, might as well take up on his word.

"Sure," I say. Dexter smiles widely, and adjusts his glasses.

"Then we shall be on our way!" Dexter says merrily. We enter the gates with anticipation and excitement.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – MAIN ENTRANCE HALL**

".. And that's how I defeated her in battle of wits! We then shook hands, and I was victorious!"

Dexter's idea of socializing is basically him spouting his various achievements, even if they are completely unrelated to whatever we were talking about a minute ago. Okay, I get it! You're smart.

"But you know, I have to admit that you are pretty intelligent as well." Oh? He seemed to have calmed down a bit. I'll hear what he has to say.

"Really? You think so, even if you say you're the smartest man ever?" Upon hearing my word, he frowns. I didn't expect that reaction.

"Of course! You figured out how to revive a Tyrannosaurus Rex!" Dexter says enthusiastically, his facial expression changing to one of joy. "Not everyone can just revive a T. Rex!" He… might not actually be that bad. So much for being the self-proclaimed "smartest man on the planet".

"Now, I do hope we get to meet another wonderful classmate!" Dexter says, puffing up his chest as he said that. Speaking of which, I spot a girl standing near a pillar, all by her lonesome.

"Dexter, let's talk to that girl," I say, pointing at the lone female. Dexter then nodded, and briskly walked towards the girl, and I followed suit.

"Oh, greetings Sir and Ma'am. Utopia Academy students, right?" the girl said. I immediately took note of her use of Sir and Ma'am.

The girl was wearing the official Utopia Academy uniform, so I concluded that she was a Utopic student. She had dark green, collar-length hair. It's the same length all the way round her head. At the front, it is split to reveal the right hand side of her face while still covering the left.

I also took note of her physique. She was obviously at peak physical condition, with all of her muscle definition and an average light toned skin that was reminiscent of mine. She wore a military badge of courage on her chest, parallel to her breast pocket, which was on the left side of her chest. The interesting thing about her badge is that it is the same type of badge that are given to exemplary mecha pilots. With all of these in mind, I concluded that she is the Utopic Mecha Pilot.

The girl then straightened up her posture and saluted us, placing one hand behind her back and the other near her forehead with all five fingers outstretched. A perfect salute.

"Private Asuka Minami at your service, sir and ma'am!" The girl, who just introduced herself as Asuka, said. "Just like both of you, I am a Utopic student. I have been given the title of 'Utopic Mecha Pilot'. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir and ma'am!" Game, set and match. Mecha Pilot indeed.

"A pleasure too. I'm Miku Shishido, a geneticist," I introduced myself as well. I then look at Dexter, who was just staring blankly at her. Asuka immediately takes note of this, and says, "Is there something wrong sir?"

"I am Dexter Miles," Dexter suddenly said. "I am the Utopic Intellectual Prodigy." His eyes became covered by his glasses, and there was a mysterious glint in his eyes. I absolutely do not know what to make of this.

"And I am a HUGE FAN OF MECHAS!" Dexter suddenly exclaimed, his eyes glowing with excitement. The dark aura around him disappeared and if this was an anime, he would be surrounded by numerous sparkles.

"What?" Asuka said, recoiling in shock. I can't blame her, Dexter turned a full 360.

"Oh my, I can't believe I'm meeting a real mecha pilot; and a Utopic to boot!" Is he… fanboying over Asuka? I'm at a loss for words. Even Asuka is just staring blankly at Dexter. He suddenly grabbed Asuka's two hands and cupped them with his own hands. Now this is an unexpected turn of events.

"Please, tell how it feels to ride a mecha! I've been dying to know since I was just a child!" Upon hearing the word 'dying', Asuka's facial expression suddenly turned serious.

"If it really is that important, then very well. But mind you, I am not an expert in the specs of the models; I'm just a pilot."

"It doesn't matter! Please, do tell!" Dexter says eagerly. Well, someone's happy. It is admittedly refreshing to see though. Asuka and Dexter are completely different, but they seem to get along. (Actually scratch that, it's mostly Dexter who's happy to see her)

"Um, I'm going to meet the others," I inform Dexter, but apparently it falls on deaf ears. Shrugging, I leave him to chatter along with Utopic Mecha Pilot, noting that she's having a hard time trying to keep up with the Utopic Intellectual Prodigy. I walk away, content in leaving Dexter in Asuka's care.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – GREENHOUSE**

I strolled about randomly, not really knowing where to go. I ended up walking toward a beautiful greenhouse. This academy is really massive. Even the pathway I was walking on was beautiful, and the grass around the academy was green and fresh. The greenhouse was big just like everything else in this academy and had a clear roof. I'd say it's as big as a two-floor residential house. Above the greenhouse was a solar energy converter, which looked like a giant electric generator.

Just as I went the near the greenhouse, I hear four voices coming from inside the greenhouse. One voice was undoubtedly male; another one was Suzumi's voice while the last one was that of a female. The last voice was Kensuke's. Curiosity getting the better of me, I open the door to the greenhouse.

I am immediately greeted by a vivid green. The beautiful greenhouse was decorated with various plants, trees and flowers. There was a small pond in the end of the greenhouse and there were some butterflies and other not-so-nasty critters. I can't describe most of the flowers and plants here since I'm not a botanist, but I could at least identify some. There were numerous red roses and tulips; and on the right side I can see some sunflowers.

It was like stepping into a fantasy realm of fairies. Makes one wonder how plants can still be beautiful even if they're on the Moon. Plants might be even more resilient that humans are!

"Oh! Hi Miku!" Instantly, I whirl around to see Suzumi waving at me vigorously. Even after everything that has happened so far, she's still hyper. I walk towards Suzumi and the two other Utopic students. Suzumi then bows her head.

"Miku! I'm so sorry I left without warning! I was just super duper excited!" Suzumi apologizes frantically. Kensuke meanwhile, sighs in slight annoyance, bringing his palm to his face.

"I tried telling her not to be too hasty…" I then pat Suzumi's head, and she looked up at me.

"It's alright Suzumi. I can understand your excitement," I say with a bright smile on my face. I just can't stay mad at Suzumi. She's too nice. Upon hearing my words, she immediately hugs me in tender hug, not like the one from when she hugged me at the Grand Portal.

"Aww, thank you so much Miku! I'll be sure to make it up for you!" Suzumi says brightly. I chuckle awkwardly, patting her back as I did.

"No harm done. So, Suzumi and Kensuke. Did you meet everyone else?"

"Not yet, but there is these two," Kensuke points to the two other people in the greenhouse.

I eye the two new students. One was obviously a guy and the other could pass off as a girly guy, but I could tell she was a girl.

At first glance, I could immediately tell that the guy was an athlete of some sort. Like Asuka from a while ago, he has a muscular and well-built physique with an above-average height. He has an average colored skin tone and his short disheveled hair was mostly dark brown with the occasional red in some areas of his bangs. His eyes were a bit bland as it had a grey shade to them. I could also see something strapped around his neck, but it's mostly covered by his black and white Utopia Academy uniform.

"Yo, what's up? You also a Utopic, huh? Well then it's nice to meetcha," The brown-haired boy says, casually walking up to me and stretching out his hand. "Name's Norio Iwata, by the way. Utopic Virtual Gladiator." I then stretch out my hand and accept his handshake, though I'm little scared that he might break my delicate little hand. Thankfully he doesn't and shakes my hand gently.

"Seems like you three are friends. Well ain't that awesome? It's always great to be able to chillax with bros, especially in a crazy-ass huge school like this," Norio says, releasing my hand.

"So, what's your name kiddo?" Kiddo? Am I that short? I know I'm a measly 4'8", but I can't be that short that I could be mistaken as a child! In an attempt to correct him, I stretched myself to my full height.

"I'm not a child. If I was a "kiddo", then I wouldn't be here in Utopia Academy." Hopefully that brings my point across.

"Don't worry, we all know you're not a child," The other student, the girl, interjects.

She was a girl of slender proportions, and like Yuki, looks like she hasn't gone outside of house in a long time, but not to the extent that she's as pale as Yuki. Her straight auburn hair was tied up into a high ponytail with a purple scrunchy. She also has a pair of violet colored headphones and are currently wrapped around her neck, resting on her shoulders.

"After all, you are the famous Miku Shishido, the child prodigy who was able to genetically revive a Tyrannosaurus Rex back in Avalon Academy four years ago. Other achievements include cloning extinct species such as the Dodos, genetically creating a self-sustaining plant that can produce more food than an entire farm and capable of fixing genetic disorders and imperfections by directly manipulating DNA. You haven't done any of these to humans due to the ethical issues it may raise but you were still good enough to be chosen as the Utopic Geneticist." What. How did she know all about me? If I could see my own face right know, it would be contorted into one of horror.

To be frank, I HATE people who know about me TOO much. They remind me of Suzumi's many creepy stalkers. And to make matters worse, I have never even met this girl!

"H-how did you know about all of that…?" I manage to stutter. Geez, I must have sounded like I was really scared.

Upon taking a look at my (horrified) face, the know-it-all chuckles slightly, then returns to her emotionless face.

"Well of course I know. I also know about Norio, Suzumi, Kensuke and everyone else." This girl… There's only one way she would be able to find out about everyone. She must have hacked the files of Utopia Academy to check all of our profiles.

"You must have accessed our files early on to know these things," I say nervously. "The only way for you to do that is by hacking. You… you're a hacker, right?" Upon hearing my answer, the creepy girl smiles and nods.

"Yes, I'm Misao Kitagawa the Utopic Hacker. You're very perceptive, Miku," The know-it-all Misao says. She is dangerous. I shouldn't try to mess with this girl…

"That's illegal. Why did you hack the academy?" Norio chimed in, crossing his arms around his chest. "Sides', if that's true, we can easily report ya to the police or somethin'…"

"Well I have to show how capable I am to the academy you know. They challenged me to hack their system files," Misao said, twirling a small part of her hair. "They were stupid to challenge me. Next time they do that, they have to at least get a Utopic Programmer. Their attempts at blocking my hacking were pathetic." Misao seems to have spat out that last word rather harshly.

"Let's just hope you didn't hack too much into the database. We wouldn't want that happening, right?" Kensuke adds, looking a bit concerned and keeping a stern face.

"Don't worry, I know my limits," Misao says in a deadpan manner. She then smirks a bit. "But I can go beyond if I so choose to…" Ugh. Spooky.

"Wow, you must be really talented to be able to hack into Utopia Academy's files!" Suzumi exclaimed. Is she not getting bad vibes from this girl? She's speaking about hacking like it was an everyday thing. "In fact, I think I have an idea for my next song! I'll call it 'Pop Hacker!'"

"Pop Hacker huh? That's sounds rather amusing, Suzumi," Norio adds, laughing a bit. Suzumi is really clueless about these things. But Misao smiles a bit at Suzumi.

"A new song? Cool; I'll be looking forward to listening to it," Misao said, putting back her headphones over her ears. She then walks away, but then turned back to us midway. "I'll be going somewhere else. Later." And with that, she left the greenhouse. Thank goodness, because I'm as jittery as Yuki next to her. She really makes me feel uneasy.

But then, I'm suddenly hit with a pat to the back. The culprit is Suzumi, and she smiles her biggest smile at me.

"Don't be scared Miku! I'm sure she means no harm!" Suzumi said heartily, trying to make me feel at ease. Well if there's one thing that's really nice about Suzumi, it's that she can easily wash away my unease.

"Yeah, thanks Suzumi," I say, rubbing the aching pain emanating from the area Suzumi hit me. For an idol, she sure is pretty strong. Or maybe I'm just very physically weak.

"Haha, you three really are an amusing bunch. It'll be a kickass time listening to your shenanigans and being with ya all in class," Norio says brightly, obviously amused by us. Great, have I become some sort of comedian to him?

Suzumi smiles brightly again, and twirls around the greenhouse, akin to a fairy dancing in a mythical forest.

"Well I'm planning to stay here a little longer. I suggest you meet the others, Miku! I think some of them are in the track field." Well thanks for the direction. I look at Norio, but he seems content in hanging out with the trees and grass. I then turn to Kensuke.

"How about you Kensuke?" I ask, hoping he could come with me. He shakes his head while examining a tree branch.

"Oh, I'll be out meeting the others in a bit," Kensuke says while looking at the crops this time. "I just would like to see if there are some vegetables." He's obviously thinking about his animals back at "Kazama Rehabilitation Center".

"Oh, okay. Well I'll be off then," I say to the three, waving at them as they wave back at me.

I then leave the greenhouse, all while hoping the others won't be as unsettling as Misao.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – TRACK FIELD**

The greenhouse wasn't too far from the track field. In fact, the track field was just behind the main building. Upon reaching the track field, I can see the vast expanse of lush green grass. The track field was undoubtedly colossal; but knowing how huge everything else is in this school, I'm not surprised. But this track field is wide enough to fit a football stadium. It's that wide.

Thankfully I don't need to walk too far to meet the other students. But I am mildly surprised to find only two students in this area. Have they left already? No matter.

I walk to the pair, and began formulating multiple greetings in my head. Now I know I'm not really the most sociable of people, but I still want to meet new people. The pair notice me going near them and one of them waves their hand lazily at me. I then take a closer at these two new students.

One was undoubtedly a boy and was actually pretty good-looking if I say so myself. His facial features are very sharp and well defined, and coupled with his slightly muscular build and above average height, make him look very… Hot. Speaking of hot, his eyes are a nice shade of chocolate, though more on the dark chocolate side of the spectrum. His hair, which is short and rather choppy, reminds me of the night sky, having a deep navy blue color to it. His bangs also sweep across his forehead.

He also has quite a few accessories with him. He has green-colored headphones that are resting casually around his neck, has a lanyard with several keychains (I immediately note he has the keychain of 'Dino-Girl' among those keychains) of various mascots dangling from his breast pocket and wears the latest "Holo-Watch" model, which looks like a watch with the exception of it mini keyboard and hologram function. I know I love Kensuke, but if he didn't exist, this guy would be totally my type of guy. He has this 'cool' aura around him.

"...Hey. You need somethin'? You're lookin' at me all funny..." The boy says, to which I immediately blush.

"O-oh! Sorry, I guess I was just spacing out? Hehe…" I laugh awkwardly. Here we go again Miku, embarrassing yourself around someone you have never met before. I will admit though, his voice and his looks are familiar.

"Yeah, that's fine. I do it all the time. By the way…I think you're here for introductions?" I nod enthusiastically. He then nods also in response. "Okay. I'm Chihaya Soh." Then, he rustles his pants pocket, trying to pick up something. He then puts his hand out of his pockets and shows me a small mechanical cube. He then presses it, and it suddenly transformed and materialized into a mechanical silver board with rockets boosters by the end of it. He then whips the board around, throws it in the air, and then catches it with his right hand.

"And if you didn't notice, I'm the Utopic Space Surfer," Chihaya says proudly, and then shrinks the board into the small mechanical cube again. "With the latest technology, even space boards are portable. Mine's…a custom one." Wow. He's amazing! I'm actually meeting the legendary 'White Starduster', who's rumored to be as hot as a white star! In person! No wonder why he looked familiar!

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Chihaya! I'm Miku Shishido, the Utopic Geneticist!" I accidentally introduced myself louder than usual. I'm not too big in sports, but I do agree with everyone else that Chihaya is very cool. Not as cool as Kensuke, but cool enough. I mean, he IS the fastest Space Surfer around.

"…Tsk. Noisy…" Suddenly, Chihaya's nonchalant face morphed into one of slight annoyance. He backed up a little from me.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" I apologized frantically. I hadn't expected him to react like that to me raising my voice.

"Whatever…so long as you don't get too outta hand…" Chihaya muttered, his gaze drifting away from me and off into open air. He's daydreaming? What a short attention span. But then I fail to notice the girl behind him. She then moved away from his back, and she bowed a bit.

"Hello there," The girl said in a soft voice.

The voice belonged to a rather short girl (But still taller than me) who was slim and rather petite in terms of her physique. Her eyes are of interest as they had a bright pink shade to them. She has a fair skin tone that complemented her short black hair that was tied in a high ponytail. Specifically, it was tied up with a clock-shaped hair tie.

Oh, and nearly everything about her is about clocks. Seriously. She has a clock hair tie, a clock necklace, a pair of clock earrings and of course a wristwatch. But not the typical Holo-Watches. She was wearing a very old and vintage model of wristwatches, the ones that still use the minute hand and the hour hand. It must be a lunar watch or something; How else would that watch be usable here?

"Well hello to you too. You are?"

"I am Tokiko Kaishi. I am the Utopic Timer," The girl who introduced herself as Tokiko said. Timer? What kind of talent is that? "What's your name?" Hmm, didn't she hear my introduction a while ago? Well regardless, I introduced myself again, stating both my name and my Utopic Talent.

"Oh. Okay, I'll try to remember your name." She'll try? What does she mean by that? She's very eccentric, that's for sure.

"Um, I can't help but notice you have many, uh, clocks. Do they work?" I say, intrigued by her whole clock motif.

"Oh, these…? Yes, they work," Tokiko says. She then removed her necklace and showed it to me. "You see the hands moving? These accessories have built-in watches…" Wow, seriously? Handmade accessories? She must have a lot of free time and skill!

"That's amazing! They look nice!" I exclaim. Tokiko smiles warmly and wears her necklace again. Chihaya then stops spacing out and as if he remembered something, and he immediately snaps out of his daydream.

"So, uh, what are we going to do now again?" Chihaya asks, scratching the back of his head as he does. "I mean, it's not like the door to the main building of the school is open or what-not…" He's got a point there. I guess we're all a little too early, or the school is preparing some kind of event for us. "And I'm getting hella bored."

"I honestly have no idea. In the meantime, I'll try searching for the others. See you later then," I say, running off while waving. Chihaya and Tokiko wave back, and I left the track field. Where else should I go to?

But right at that moment, I forgot to slow down, and accidentally ran into someone. I then fell on my back with a thud.

* * *

 **And that's it for the chapter! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing this chapter. Thanks again for following this fanfic.**

 **Ooh, who's that person who Miku bumped into? Well, we're about to find out in the next chapter!**

 **Nemris – The return of Apex, huh? I like it! Anyways, I'm glad you like this story! I'm obviously not the best writer but I try to deliver. I hope Norio is to your liking!**

 **(Yeah, I really love how diverse the cast is too as well. So I'll do my best to make them alive!)**

 **IfTimeWasStill – Thanks, your feedback helps me a lot. I tried to add more flavor in this chapter, so I hope it's at least passable. Also, Asuka's here! I hope I made her in-character.**

 **(Also, you didn't have to wait for seven months this time! Yay!)**

 **Thanks so much to beta reader! I couldn't have done this without you. ;)**

 **Apex out!**


	4. Prologue IV

**Apex here!**

… **I couldn't update earlier because there are still some people who haven't replied to my PMs. So I waited and waited and waited for weeks. Months… Until I got annoyed and decided to just wing some of the students. Hopefully they will still be In character.**

 **This chapter will introduce five more students, and the next one after this will introduce the last couple of students and the start of the real deal.**

 **Now, without further ado, here we go!**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE - THE 100TH CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY/4**

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – TRACK FIELD**

"Oh, I'm sorry I bumped into you!" I apologize immediately. The boy that I had bumped into offered me his hand and pulled me up. I dust myself off and glance up at him.

He seems to be at least one foot taller than me and his hair was a very vibrant baby pink, with his eyebrows matching his hair color. He sports short, messy and wavy hair that really contrasts with the black and white color scheme of the Utopia Academy uniform.

His eyes make me feel at ease; they are very soft and welcoming and have a cobalt shade to them. The boy's skin is healthy and white, similar to Suzumi's complexion. He isn't that muscular; honestly, he's leaning more on the thin side of builds.

"It's alright, hun," The male student says in an affectionate way. This guy must be the flirty type. Suddenly, he eyes me curiously. Did he notice something?

"Ah, I recognize you!" The boy says flamboyantly, his eyes sparkling in excitement. I stare blankly at his exaggerated reaction.

Genetically speaking, my blue eyes and pale skin are less common traits, but not so rare that it would be simple to point me out in a crowd. I do have a round, child-like face and soft cheeks, but they don't necessarily make me stand out very much. My chin-length turquoise locks and two small tight hair buns may be the most defining physical characteristics of mine, actually. But then again, with modern genetics, people's dreams of having multi-colored hair have finally come true.

"You must be Miku Shishido, yes?" The extroverted boy continues, his enthusiasm never once faltering.

 _Wow._ He knows who I am? I didn't know there was someone who knew me aside from Dexter!

"I can see that you know me, but I'm afraid I can't say the same for you…" I say sheepishly. The pink haired boy just pats me on the head and smiles widely, showing his shiny white teeth.

"Oh that's fine, cutie. I'm Zange Ichijou, the Utopic Political Activist!" The flamboyant boy introduced himself. Zange Ichijou. Now that he mentioned it-Wait, did he just say what I _think_ he said?!

"C-cutie!?" I accidentally blurt out, my whole face burning up, as I squirmed around uncontrollably. I'm pretty sure I would be comparable to a tomato at this point. I'm not used to guys calling me cute...! (I wish Kensuke could say the same to me!) Zange chuckles lightheartedly.

"What's wrong, not used being complimented on your aesthetics?" Darn! He hit the nail over the head—but he asks the question so politely; I can sense no malice in him.

Still stammering, I try to compose myself but I end up stuttering. "W-well… Look, it's just weird for me to be told that by boys, okay?"

"Aw, you really are a cutie! You should be more confident in yourself, hun." Yeah, being attractive is hard when you're in close proximity to the Utopic Teen Idol. But that's just Suzumi being Suzumi, so I can't really blame her.

"So Miku, I bet you want to know why I recognize you, right?" Zange asks. I nod in response, immediately dispelling my blushing face.

"Well, I'm a bit hurt that you forgot about it," Zange says with a sad expression on his face. "I attended one of your seminars. I believe it was about the relationship of genes and sexuality."

Immediately, it hits me. _I remember that seminar!_ It was very hectic since I was with many politicians during that particular presentation. No wonder why he knows me! Hehe, I'm actually more famous than I thought.

"Ah, you mean the seminar where I proposed that one's sexuality is tied into genetics, right?" I ask Zange, to which he nods. I suddenly feel the need to lecture him! "While there is no specific 'gay' gene, I did discover that a gene on the X chromosome called 'Xq28' and a gene on chromosome 8 seem to be found in higher prevalence in men who are gay.

"I also proposed that epigenetic changes, or alterations in marks on DNA that turn certain genes on and off, may play a role in homosexuality. This type of gene regulation isn't as stable as DNA, and can be switched on and off by environmental factors or conditions in the womb during prenatal development. But this so-called epigenome can also be passed on from generation to generation, which would explain why being gay may run in families, even when a single gene can't be pinpointed." I fail to notice that while I was rambling, my hands were in random gestures, trying to mimic my words.

Oh wait a second; I have been rambling too much! I immediately panic and bow my head.

"I-I'm sorry! I just love genetics so much that I ended up going on a tangent…" I apologize frantically. _Ugh, there I go again_. But to my surprise, he doesn't get angry. I hear clapping, and I straightened my position and looked at Zange. He was actually smiling!

"Don't fret, dear, I admire your passion towards your field of expertise! In fact, that was one of the many arguments that allowed the government to pass the law on same-sex marriage!" Zange exclaims, looking as bright as ever. "In fact, I referenced your research on my book, _'Sexuality Equalized,_ and I can't thank you enough!"

He suddenly hugged me like a parent would hug their own child. Obviously, I was flustered by his sudden action, but thankfully he quickly releases me from his hug and smiled at me again.

"It really is a pleasure to meet you, Miku!" Zange beamed. "I hope we can get along!" For a flamboyant guy like him, he is really lovable and sociable. He'll get along with Suzumi, I'm sure. And he really is the Utopic Political Activist if he _is_ that sociable. The only problem is that he's too extroverted while I'm a little on the shy side.

"Mmhmm," I muttered unintelligibly, nodding my head as I muttered. He's a lightyear away from me. He is everything I ever wanted to be. Confident, sociable, kind…

"Well I presume you'll be meeting with the others, right hun?" Zange then points his finger east from where we are standing. "I just came from the park over there. I bet you'll meet the others, and I'm veeery sure you'll be able to get along with them!"

 _Yes, Zange. I hope._ I don't want to meet another Misao. Imagine the horror if an army of Misaos were there, waiting for me!

"Well then, tata~" Zange said flirtatiously as he merrily made his way. I then see him approach Chihaya and Tokiko. Much to my surprise though, Chihaya leaves the area, looking somewhat annoyed, with Tokiko trailing behind him. But back to what's important. I have to get going to the park! I then leave the track field, hoping I could meet more friendly Utopics.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – GREEN PARK**

Most things in Utopic Academy are huge. The park, however, was actually pretty normal. There were benches and trees, a couple of smaller buildings; Basically the perfect place to hang out during lunch. As I scanned the area, I see two people chatting—one male, one female. As I approach them, the two noticed me and waved their hands.

"Hello there, young miss!" Said the boy in an obnoxiously loud voice. From the get-go, I can tell that this guy is filled with enthusiasm. His chin-length hair was all over the place with a platinum yellow sheen to it. He was another one of those "stays-too-much-inside-their-house" kind of people with a complexion nearly identical to Yuki's (Yuki still takes the cake of being the palest).

The male student looks comedic with his tall and gawky body structure and he seriously needs to gain more weight. He apparently has heterochromia; his left eye is light green while the right has a light blue shade to it. Alongside his uniform, he wears a dark blue newsboy cap and an old-looking red scarf. I can't tell what his talent is yet.

"May art ask thy lady's name?" _Is he serious?_ He sounds like an actor! I chuckled a bit, but stop immediately anyway. I didn't want him to think I was teasing him or something, so I just introduced myself in a proper manner, stating both my name and talent.

"Haha! Miku, that is a fine name, mademoiselle!" He reaches his hand for a handshake, and I take his hand. He then shakes my hand very vigorously and when he's done, releases me. I am slightly dizzy in the aftermath.

"Now now, Hayato. You don't want to make someone you just met disoriented, right?" _Wait, Hayato?_ As in Hayato Mori, the prodigy Mecha Engineer? But before I could ponder even more about Hayato, the girl then flashes a smile at me.

She is actually very short; she's probably around the same height as Yuki, but she's still taller than tiny ol' me. She has a healthy light brown skin tone to her with messy black hair that reaches way down to her neck. Her eyes were dark blue, and she few freckles scattered around on her face, specifically near the nasal regions.

"This hammy guy is Hayato Mori the Utopic Mecha Engineer. He means well, so don't be scared of him." So he _is_ the Utopic Mecha Engineer! I've heard of his various achievements in the realm of engineering.

"Wow, Hayato! I know you. You have built some of the greatest known mechas out there!" I beamed. I love it when I meet other intellectual people. I'm so glad I'm not the only 'nerd' here!

"Haha, yes! I assume you are aware of some of my frames?" Hayato asks excitedly. Sorry to say I'm not a huge fan of mechas like Dexter, but I still appreciate them due to their complex nature. It's another intriguing aspect of modern science and technology.

"Yes, like for instance, the 'Kugelblitz Model'. I was really fascinated with the way you utilized black holes. They can power the entire mecha for millenniums to come!" Hayato gives me this look that says "awesome"!

"Aha, but even THAT isn't my best! Do you perchance, know of the 'Gungnir'?" The Gungnir? I've never heard of it before, so I tilt my head in confusion. Hayato first clears his throat before saying anything.

"Ahem! Actually, no one knows it yet because it's still in the planning stages…" Oh, no wonder then. But still, having to meet all these amazing people…

"All your other creations are great too, though," I admit. Hayato's face looks unreadable for a second, but all of sudden, he flashes a gigantic smile.

"Miku, I am extremely GIDDY to know you and I can connect on a deep level of mutual interests!" Suddenly, he strikes another dramatic pose. "Wait, could our meeting be… DESTINY!?"

"Hey, quiet down a little, Jupiter. You're quite hammy for someone not very big." The girl then composes herself and smiles at me. "Anyways, I gotta follow tradition. Hello! My name is Masumi Hoshikawa, and I believe you may know me as the Utopic Astronomer!" _Oh wow!_ Another big name student!

"Ah yes, I've also heard of you," I say softly. "You were the one who discovered the exoplanet 'X02374'. The United Nations Space Exploration Association are going to explore it soon." When they do get, imagine all the _complex life!_ I really wish I could get samples from them!

"Wow, you're well-informed! And yes, X02374 is rocky exoplanet roughly the size of Earth! And if my calculations are correct, there must be new organisms waiting in that planet!" Masumi exclaims. Masumi then rattles on about the planet's composition and whatnot. Hayato looks at her, trying to find a way to break her rambling.

"-Okay, Masumi! I think that's quite enough for today! Moving along!" Upon hearing Hayato, Masumi promptly silenced herself, and blushed a bit.

"Whoops! Hehe, sorry! I must have gone on and on about space, huh?" Masumi apologizes playfully, lightly hitting her head with her knuckles. So she's prone to rambling too, huh? I already feel like me and her are similar… But the problem is, I'm not the best speaker.

"It's fine, I know how much you love astronomy," I reassure her. She smiles widely at me in response.

"So Miku, have you met with everyone else already?" Hayato asks. Oh yeah, I haven't yet gotten to everyone, huh? At least everyone (with the exception of a certain hacker) seems nice so far.

"Not yet, at that moment," I say nonchalantly. "How about you two? I came with five other new students. I suggest you guys look around. My friend, Suzumi Tomoe, is in the Greenhouse." Both Masumi and Hayato's eyes widen as I mentioned Suzumi.

"Suzumi? As in THE Suzumi?" Masumi asks, her eyes widening. I nod in approval, and Masumi snaps out of her slight trance.

"Wow, we really are surrounded with famous people, aren't we Jupiter?" Masumi says to 'Jupiter', which I assume is a nickname for Hayato. I glance at Hayato, wondering if he's bothered by the name. He's not.

"This is SPECTACULAR! Simply stellar! I am truly glad to enroll in this most PRESTIGIOUS institution!" Hayato beams in his typical hammy fashion that honestly makes me giggle a tiny bit. "Hahaha! Then, we must make haste, milady Masumi! We shall introduce ourselves at ONCE!" Hayato kicks reason to the curb and breaks the impossible by striking an even more dramatic pose. Masumi giggles at his gesture, and nods at him.

"Sure thing, Jupiter!" She then glances back at me, saying "Well I guess we'll be seeing you later in the entrance ceremony, Pluto!" Grabbing Hayato by the wrist, Masumi dashes away while Hayato struggles to keep up with her pace, yelling "Wait, milady! MILADY!"

And with that, the eccentric duo left- Wait, did she just call me 'Pluto'? That's not even a planet anymore! That should break her pattern when she called Hayato 'Jupiter'. Oh well, since they left I might as well look for the rest.

Just as I was about to leave, I hear footsteps. I glance to my left, and sure enough someone new came.

"Yo. I take it you're a Utopic too, eh?" This new girl looks… Unimpressive to say the least. She has brown, shoulder length and shaggy hair, with bangs swept over the right side of her face. Curiously, there's a purple highlight in her bangs. Her eyes have a sea foam green tinge to them; which is honestly very unique, even when considering modern genetics. She is… pretty well-endowed when it comes to her chest, rivaling that of Suzumi's and has a dark complexion. As for her build I'd say she is average aside from her assets.

While she was wearing the Utopia uniform top… She wasn't wearing the official skirt to go with the uniform and instead wore some camouflage-patterned cargo pants and a pair of grey sneakers that looked like it has seen better days. She also wore some black outdoors cap, and finished with a red bandanna wrapped around her neck.

I REALLY hope I didn't just run into a delinquent.. And a foreigner, no less.

"Oh, don't cha worry bout' the language barrier. I prepared this little ol' gizmo that automatically translate my speech to Japanese, and automatically translates your Japanese to English for me." Well at least she's prepared, since I am assuming she can't speak Japanese unlike Dexter. And yes, I forgot to take note of that tiny drone floating beside her. That must be the Lingua-Drone, a device for automatically translating any language and can convert speech.

"So," The delinquent-esque girl flashed a toothy grin (Which to my surprise, she has sharp teeth) and offered a handshake. "The name's Cass. Cassandra Delsin." I took her hand and shook it.

"I'm Miku Shishido, Utopic Geneticist," I say softly, still unsure of how to react near her. I let go of the handshake, and I think she noticed my unease and relaxed her stance.

"What's up? Don't cha worry, I ain't gonna bite ya," Cass says casually. Even with the Lingua-Drone, her speech still has that accent. Oh well, at least I'm knowledgeable enough to understand it. Cass points her finger to a bench. "Yo, let's sit there." I nod, and we both sit at the bench.

Well, I guess I can use this moment to ask her Utopic talent.

"You said you were Cassandra Delsin, right? What is your Utopic Title?" I ask her with a high amount of curiosity. She just stares at me for a couple of seconds before talking again.

"Ah, me? Well in here, Ah'm the Utopic Painter. Don't think most kids around this school know me, I reckon'." Huh, no one else knows her? I wonder why? I mean sure, I don't recognize her, but every Utopic has got to be popular… Right?

"Utopic Painter huh? I see…" I trail uncertainly, deep in thought of how such a Utopic could exist. Wasn't she scouted out by Utopia Academy? Was she personally sought to attend classes here? She's as much as an enigma as Harukaze is.

"What, expecting a different title of somethin'?" Cass then laughs a bit before continuing. "I know I ain't the flashiest looking person round' these parts, but I can say fer' certain that I can paint well into the Utopic tier." Well art isn't really my forte, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.

Still, as a painter, I expected her to be more… refined. She generally emits this kind of "don't mess with me" aura, but at the same time she has a carefree, "don't know, don't care" vibe to her. Note to self; try not to get on Cass's bad side.

"But geez, this is gettin' pretty fuckin' boring," Cass curses casually, throwing up her hands in the air for added effect. "I know that we gotta introduce ourselves and whatnot, but when's the ceremony gonna start kickin'?" I agree with her; the ceremony is taking quite a while for set up.

"I know, I'm getting a bit impatient myself," I add. "On the bright side, at least we get to explore UA a bit." I don't know if this applies to everyone, but I really love the entire environment of the academy. Some may say that the school is too big, but that's what makes this educational institute even more unique.

Cass mimics a camera with hand gestures, and stares at the vast greenery of the park. "Heh, can't argue with that, I suppose. I could make a beautiful painting with this lush park as a reference, I reckon'." Imagine the beauty of a painting with a park like this; the numerous trees, the beautiful fountain on the middle of the park, the various benches and the view of Earth in the distance…

As my mind travels back and forth between spacing out and daydreaming, Cass taps my shoulder to snap me back to reality.

"Yo Miku, did you meet everyone else already?" I contemplate what she said for a moment and counted all the people I have met so far. Including me, I have met 15 Utopics.

"Well I don't think so. Out of the 18 Utopics, I only met 14, 15 including myself."

"Well, make that 16 people then." Cass points at a bush just behind us as she said this, and said bush rustled. I let out a small shriek. A girl leaps out from her hiding place in the shrubbery, just as shocked as I am.

"Eeek! I-I'm so s-sorry for s-spying on you!" She stammers, looking rather comedic and out-of-place with leaves and even a twig lodged in her stark white hair. It's up in a ponytail with a black ribbon like Ms. Painter here, but with pink highlights.

Her eyes are a pretty amber, and she is about as fair as Harukaze, with a height and build similar to Misao, but she is slightly taller when compared to other short people I've met today (including me). Oh, and she has a pink star sticker on her left cheek, and is wearing white jacket over her Utopia Academy uniform.

"O-oh, do I look o-okay!? I know I'm not very cute or beautiful, b-but…" Oh great, she seems to have taken my staring in the wrong way. I better clear this up, since it looks like she could explode into shame any second now.

"No, I was just um, making sure you were fine hiding behind that bush. Some bushes have thorns, and I looked around your body for any… scratches." Whew. Hope she buys that excuse.

The stuttering mess of a girl just stares at me, then sighs in relief.

"Thank goodness then… I thought I l-looked weird…" Her stuttering puts Yuki's to shame. She definitely needs more social skills than I do. She can't even look at us in the eye. I'm afraid this situation is out of reach for me. I nudge my seatmate Cass, and she seems to have gotten the message.

"Yo, girlie. Stand up and sit with us. Don't cha worry, we don't bite!" Cass remarks. The girl still looks uneasy. "Besides, how could a little ol' rabbit like this girlie here bite ya?" Oh seriously? Did she really just compare me to a bunny? I have zero leporine traits!

"Yeah, okay t-then…" The new girl slowly stands up and trudges towards the bench. She then gently plants herself beside Cass.

"Great, ya feelin' better now?" Cass asks in a friendly manner, giving the girl a bright smile. It seemed to have worked on the girl, so she nods.

"Y-yeah, thanks for that… And wait, are you a foreigner?" The new girl asks.

"Yup! Came here to the moon all the way from Neo Angeles! Gotta say, this darn place is amazing, don't cha think?" Neo Angeles, huh? That explains that accent then…

"Ah, t-then you h-have a Lingua-Drone?" Cass nods in response. "Well t-that's good t-then… I-uh, better i-introduce myself, r-right?"

"Yup, that's right!" Then, as if we were old buddies, Cass slings an arm around my shoulder. Ugh, too touchy, this girl. However, I cannot seem to extract her arm away from my shoulder due to my weakness, and probably her physical strength too.

"The name's Cass! Cassandra Delsin, Utopic Painter!" She then points her free arm to me. "This little' girlie is Miku Shishido, and she's the Utopic Geneticist!"

"W-wow! You both have g-great talents… Um, I'm Shiro Akabane… Utopic Guitarist..!" Ah, so she's Shiro, huh? She was very popular, being the lead guitarist in their band "Kuro X Shiro". Unfortunately, her partner, Kuro, was attacked and left in a coma. According to the news, Shiro is still going strong in her solo career, but she's so shy in person.

"Heh, Guitarist huh? That's pretty damn awesome!" Cass exclaims wholeheartedly. "Ya know, if I ever get lazy as fuck, I reckon' your music will charge me up!" To this compliment, Shiro blushed.

"Ehehe… Thanks, but please try to l-lessen y-your swearing a bit? M-maybe?" Oh, so she isn't the type of person who like swearing. Cass, upon hearing this, smiles awkwardly.

"Whoops! Heh, sorry Shiro. Guess I'm just used to it. I'll to lessen my curses when near ya then, alright'?" Shiro nods in understanding.

"U-um, I haven't h-heard of you… Um, Cass right? I'm so sorry!" Shiro pleads. She is going to be hard to deal with, I'm sure.

"Hey now, quit ya apologizing, kay'?" Cass says, slightly upping her voice before lowering it again. "Sides', this girlie here hasn't heard about me either, so no sweat." Shiro nods and tries to apologize again, but is stopped midway by Cass.

"U-um, I've heard of you t-though, Miku," Shiro started. "Y-you had great achievements in your field of s-study, s-so I've heard…" After being silent for quite a while, I get to speak up now.

"Well, yes. I'm pleased to hear that everyone else also recognizes me somehow," I say as calculating as possible. My "stoic and calm" persona has been faltering lately, and I really need to keep it u-

I flinch. Cass has given me a slap on my petite back, resulting in an aching spot. _Ow..._

"Don't be so stuck up, Miku! Ya gotta speak out more, and be more energetic!" Says the girl whose talent is _painting,_ which is generally an indoor activity.

"Hehe… You two are funny!" Great, not Shiro too! First Norio thinks I'm amusing, now her? Suddenly, her eyes grow wide as saucers. "O-oh no! I-I'm s-sorry f-for l-laughing at you, M-Miku!" Shiro stood, and began bowing her head multiple times in rapid succession. Rubbing my aching back, I struggled to give her a smile.

"N-no, it's fine. I'm used to it…" I say softly. Shiro seems to have calmed down after hearing me out, so she sits down again, holding back some tears.

"Ugh… I really can't seem to put myself in o-order… I'm a mess." Someone please cheer up this poor girl.

"Yo girlie, ya gotta chin up! I know some people think just talkin' can be hell, but you can do it!" She then stands up and offer the Guitarist a hand. "Now come on, let's meet up with the others. You're coming too, Miku!" I nod and stand up. Shiro took Cass's small pep talk well and is now back on her two feet.

"Y-yeah, let's meet with e-everyone!" Shiro says, trying to sound happy and excited. Too bad she's still shaking a bit, but can I blame her? We are all going to be classmates with the best of the best! If I nearly fainted meeting Chihaya, then I'm sure that the experiences I will have in this school will be even better as time goes by.

"Alright then Cass and Shiro, let's head for the Entrance Hall," I say as the three of us go back.

* * *

 **And there we have it. So I crammed in 5 introductions this time, meaning we only have two characters left, Seiko and Shintaro! Welp, here's to hoping I won't update in the 5 months again. Ugh, so much for updates… I guess there are now zero followers of this fic. Next chapter should be up two to three weeks from now, then after that I'll try to find the time. Anyways, the reviews of the previous chapter!**

 **Shyjoker – Miku Hatsune? Too bad Miku Shishido isn't the Utopic Teen Idol for added similarities… But hey, this Miku's hair color is turquoise like Hatsune's is! Oh, and yeah, Tokiko is cute, especially your drawings of her!**

 **Nemris – Well thanks! Yes, Dexter is a huge mecha fan, so obviously he'll geek meeting the pilot. Well actually, Miku hates nosy people, so that's just what she thinks. Or is Misao actually scary..? And yeah, I'm glad you liked my writing of Norio!**

 **PSISomething – I apologize too for not… expanding the descriptions of my settings in the earlier chapters. And I'm really glad you like it! And yes, I take criticism seriously! After all, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.**

 **Yikes, a little typo. Thanks for pointing it out!**

 **IfTimeWasStill – Thanks man! Really appreciate your comments and criticism. I hope to do better here and in the following chapters!**

 **And as usual, a big thank you to my Beta Reader! Thanks for all your hard work despite being hella busy.**

 **Till we meet again,**

 **Apex out.**


	5. Prologue V

**Apex here!**

 **Yeah, I'm back with yet ANOTHER chapter! The last of the intros are here, and here starts the day of… Danganronpa. (By that I mean killing) Sadly, I couldn't finish the prologue entirely, so we'll have to wait for the next two weeks.**

 **Now let's get this show on the road!**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE - THE 100TH CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY/5**

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – MAIN ENTRANCE HALL**

Surprisingly enough, by the time Cass, Shiro and I came to the entrance hall, there was already a lot of people gathered. Finally, all the Utopics in one place!

"Whew, looks like everyone's already here!" Cass says jubilantly. Facing us, she says "Welp, catch ya later!" and heads then off, presumably to talk to the rest of the class.

"W-wow… So many… P-people…" Oh no, Shiro's in no condition be all alone! I better accompany her.

"Hey, we'll go together, okay? Let's go talk to my friends Suzumi and Kensuke," I say, trying to help the musician from falling over. "I promise, they're very kind people." Shiro smiles brightly and bows.

"T-thank you so much for h-helping me out!" the guitarist says cheerfully. She then lowers her head and voice. "And to think I thought you were… scar…" Huh? I can't hear what else she's saying.

"Um, what?" I say, confused as to what she's saying. Shiro suddenly jumps in slight shock, and bows again repeatedly.

"S-sorry! S-sorry!" Honestly, this girl… She's in serious need of help.

"Hello there, Miku." Oh, that voice! It's…

"Kensuke!" I say aloud as I tackle him in a hug.

"Oof! Miku, what's up?" Ah, his presence makes me feel so warm, and I can practically smell-

I immediately back up, releasing him from my hug and hastily looking away. And I'm pretty sure I'm redder than a red star. Me and my self-imposed embarrassment again... Suzumi trails behind Kensuke, and she giggles.

"Hehe! I guess you miss us that badly, huh Miku?" Suzumi assumes. Well not really, but… Ugh, I let my emotions take control over me and just hugged Kensuke out of the blue.

"Hmm? Oh, hello there! Who are you, if I may ask?" Kensuke asks Shiro. She yelps in surprise, looking all fidgety.

"U-um, I'm Shiro Akabane!" Shiro says, bowing down repeatedly again. "I-I'm the U-utopic Guitarist!" As she mentioned her talent, Suzumi brightened up.

"Ah, I know you! You're from Shiro X Kuro!" Suzumi then rushes towards her fellow musician and shakes her hands vigorously. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"E-ehh hehe.." Shiro trailed off sheepishly, struggling to maintain her balance as Suzumi continues rattling her. Typical Suzumi, I guess.

"Hey, Miku. Were you able to meet everyone else?" Kensuke asks me, approaching me with hands tucked in his pants pockets. Now that he mentioned it…

"No, I don't think so. I haven't seen the last two," I say. Kensuke then points at his left, to where Harukaze and some other boy are.

"Try to talk to him, I asked if he met you, but he said he didn't…so why don't you introduce yourself?" Well, alright. Might as well meet everyone else while we're waiting for the gates to open. I tell Kensuke to take care of Shiro and I left.

I approach the two, who seem to be enjoying their conversation, judging from the chatter and the looks on their faces. Harukaze notices me approaching and waves politely, smiling.

"Ah, hello Miku! It's nice to see you again," Harukaze says with the angelic voice and face. Seriously, Suzumi's got some serious competition for "Class Crush". And Harukaze isn't even an idol! She's got natural beauty, that's for sure.

"I see!" The boy, whom Harukaze was conversing with just a while ago, exclaimed. "You must be Miku, Miku Shishido right?" Oh, he either knows me or Harukaze told him about me.

Now that I got a closer look on his face, he does look familiar as well. He has short, indigo colored hair with long bangs that covers his left eye. Two small silver hairpins are positioned in an "x" shape, probably to prevent his bangs from covering his right eye. He's also pretty tall, near the height range of Kensuke, but still falling short when compared to him. And for someone who's pretty tall, he's slightly skinny. His skin color is comparable to mine, too.

With all these physical traits, I deduce…

"You must be Shintaro Fukumi, the Utopic Parapsychologist right?" I say, stunning the boy a bit. He then grins at me and nods.

"That's correct, I'm Shintaro! I'm pleased to know that such an amazing scientist knows who I am!" Of course I know him—I just don't have faith in his so-called "research". There's just not enough scientific proof shown. "Tell me, do you believe in spirits and the like?"

Bluntly, I answer; "No, not at all." He stares at me incredulously, as if he can't comprehend what I just said. Harukaze, taking note of the atmosphere, tries to talk but is only silenced by Shintaro.

"Well, it seems that that conversation wouldn't work out, so instead," Shintaro trails off, and he's trying to pick up something from his bag. "Aha! Here it is!"

I glance at the book, and the title says "Ghosts and Spirits: Scariest Accounts". Oh great, is he going to try and convince me of the supernatural's existence?

"Sorry, but if you were planning on showing me these ghost stories, then I apologize, because I am not interested in these sort of frivolities." And after saying my piece, I crossed my arms around my chest. As a result, Shintaro looks a bit sad.

"Please? Just one story, I promise it's nice!" He begs, clasping his book tightly.

"Well Miku, why not? It would seem to be a very worthwhile listen, I'm sure!" Harukaze suggests softly. I just remembered that Harukaze is a spirit medium, so of course she would be interested in these things. I sigh, and decide why not. At least I'll get some amusement from it… Hopefully.

"Fine then. Let's hear this scary story of yours," I mumble somewhat reluctantly, and accept Shintaro's offer. He beams widely, and opens his book. Well, he may be weird, but I can tell he means no harm.

But then, another Utopic arrives, snatching up Shintaro's book before he could even start reading. The parapsychologist's eyes snap up at his mystery assailant.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Shintaro glowers, looking uncharacteristically angry. The new Utopic just ignores his complaints and tosses the book to the ground. He then proceeds to cruelly stomp on it. Wow, way to go, jerk.

"I just couldn't bear to listen to your incessant idiocy, you vermin," The new boy says harshly, making Shintaro flinch and back away a bit.

The new boy is very handsome, but right off the bat he hits me in all the wrong ways. He has medium length hair that's dark gray in color, and has heterochromia like Hayato. His left eye looks like blue flames flickering in the night with his right eye being equally sharp, with a deep dark green tinge. He is also very tall, taller than Shintaro and even Kensuke. And unlike Shintaro here, he actually some heft to him as he has some muscle and has a healthy build overall, while his skin is fair and supple.

"Besides," the new Utopic started, looking at me and Harukaze. "You are wasting these two beautiful girls' precious time by vomiting some utterly senseless stories." His face then morphed into an angelic expression and smiled brightly, showing his needlessly shiny white, perfect teeth.

"Am I right, ladies?" I am having the most complex of feelings right now. He's so… hot and stylish, yet he utterly repulses me. His douchebag attitude and overall prideful air do not at all match his appearance. I turn and glance at Harukaze. Her serene face is replaced with a serious look. She marches up to the new boy, still somehow maintaining her poise.

"Pardon me, but I do not know who you are. Please, state your name and talent," Harukaze requests, her voice mixed with gentleness and a tinge of anger. The new boy's grin widens at her, and bows at in a similar fashion to how a butler would.

"I am Seiko Tarumi, the Utopic Salesman. It is a pleasure to meet a wonderful woman such as yourself-"

Seiko's introduction was abruptly halted. Harukaze holds out her hand, signaling him to stop. Her face looks innocent enough, but I could tell she wasn't pleased with what was happening.

Harukaze had the courage to silence this asshole. New information is always appreciated, but I never expected this from such a delicate looking person.

"Stand up straight, and listen to me!" Harukaze commanded with surprisingly high levels of sterness. She then lowered her voice again, as if her tone a while ago was an illusion. "Apologize immediately to this kind young man, if you please."

I am speechless. And so is Shintaro. Seiko, having his pride shattered, just scoffed like the arrogant douche he is. He tries to keep his smiling façade, though.

"Please, milady. It is rude to interrupt someone in the middle of introducing themselves, am I not correct?" Harukaze still looks unsatisfied though.

"That may be true, but what you've done is a thousand times more rude! So apologize, if you please," Harukaze retorted with grace, though she seems to have said the "please" very firmly. Seiko is relentless though, and doesn't show a shred of shame or weakness.

"But is it not this silly storyteller's fault in the first place? Little Miss Beautiful here already declined the first time around, yet he had the gall to force her to listen!" What? No, Shintaro didn't force me! Seiko is putting words in my mouth; twisting the truth!

"No way! I didn't force her, she accepted! I just urged her to listen!" Shintaro cried, defending himself from the salesman's lies. He then picks up his book and dusts off the cover. "Also, this stuff's not dumb—it's what I live for!" While I think the world of supernatural is pretty silly, I do not think it is in the same ballpark as "incessant idiocy".

"Oh? But she did feel bad for you, which is the only reason why she even gave in to your begging." Seiko then faces me, angelic smile included, and says, "I bet you felt forced to comply with him, miss...?" He trails off, waiting for me to introduce myself.

Remember what I said about saying Misao is probably the classmate I dislike the most? I take that back! I would rather be friendzoned by Kensuke than to put up with Seiko's attitude! My upper lip curls in disgust at the salesman. I open my mouth to shoot back something rude, but I don't manage to speak quickly enough.

"Her name is Miku Shishido, if you were wondering," Harukaze cut in.

"Well to be perfectly honest, I'm not the biggest fan of the supernatural," I admit, suppressing my annoyance with the salesman. I glance at Seiko, who seems to be smiling slightly in triumph, while Shintaro looks deflated. I breathe in and continue. "However! I think it would be amusing to hear his stories."

I then push Seiko's solar plexus with my finger, and give him the most stern expression I can possibly muster.

"And I do not appreciate you throwing Shintaro's book like trash! It's precious to him!"

Seiko's looks totally shattered. He swiftly turns away, irritated.

"Whatever. I'm sure there are other more decent human beings than you lot," Seiko scoffs, finally removing his facade. He then leaves, probably hoping to show more people how much of an ass he is. From behind, I hear Shintaro sigh in relief.

"Hey, thanks Miku and Harukaze. That guy doesn't know how to be nice, huh?" Shintaro says, his earlier happy mood returning.

"Think nothing of it, Shintaro. After all, are we not equals in this school?" Harukaze said. She's so innocent and pure. If I were her, I would have slapped Seiko instead of politely stopping him from talking.

"So, Miku and Harukaze! Maybe you can listen to my tales next time instead! I'll prepare a really scary one…" Oh boy, Shintaro is dead-set on knocking my socks off, huh? I could only manage a soft "okay" before he nods in agreement.

"Yes, of course! I would be delighted to hear your stories!" Harukaze beamed, clapping her hands in joy. Well, it looks like these two would be getting along in the long run.

But suddenly, an amplified voice rings across the school, effectively causing all the noise to subside. Projected by an intercom system, no doubt.

"Attention. The 100th Class of Utopia Academy may now enter the Main Entrance Hall. Please line up in front of the gate by height. Thank you."

And with that, the announcement is over.

"Well, I guess we better get going then!" Shintaro said excitedly as he ran towards the door. Harukaze and I decided to line up too, and as I neared the door, a bunch of students all scrambled around, trying to find their place via height assortment.

"Well, to the front of the girls' line again…" I say to myself.

After everyone else has gathered, I look around to count everyone. All 18 students have gathered, finally. When we're all assembled together, we all look pretty diverse. The girl behind me, Masumi, is absolutely jolly right now.

"Yes! We're finally going to enter the academy!" I smile at her, and then look back at the door and close my eyes.

Alright. This is it, Miku. It's time to officially become part of Utopia Academy! With a heart filled with emotions, the door opens and I march forward, towards my dream. I'm excited and nervous at the same time.

But all of a sudden, I am struck with nausea. It first strikes my head, then rapidly entraps my whole body. It hurts.

My vision becomes dim, and I feel like burning up. This pain won't subside. After what seems to be an eternity, I black out.

* * *

 **?**

My head feels like it could split any moment now. My body aches, and I feel very groggy. My eyelids feel heavy, and I could seriously use some headache medicine. I can't think properly; all my sentences start to jumble together haphazardly.

Slowly I open my eyes, and the sight of a classroom burns into my memory. Once my vision completely recovered, I immediately stand up and scan the area.

For starters, let me just say that I have no idea how I ended up in this pristine, white classroom. It was the usual setup, there were around 20 holographic desktop computers, a giant holographic screen for the teacher, air conditioning units, holographic clocks, bolted windows…

Wait, bolted windows!? What is going on here? And now that I realized, I'm probably the only one in this barren classroom. No teachers, no lessons, no nothing… Something is wrong here…

"Well, I got to meet with the others," I say to myself. Where could they be? The most plausible place to look would be in the assembly hall. But then I run into my first crisis…

"My bag! It's gone, and I don't have any map!" I frantically search the classroom for my belongings, yet I cannot seem to find them. I sigh in defeat, figuring it would be more efficient to just wing it rather than explore the whole vicinity.

"Geez, might as well head out of the room first," I decide, and I rush out of the door.

* * *

 **UNKNOWN HALLWAY**

Now that I'm in the hallway, I get to see more of this unfamiliar place. The corridor was huge and very high tech, even by modern standards. There were a bunch of neon blue lines and lights everywhere. The ceilings, the floors… It's like I'm in a spacecraft.

"But my last memory is of entering Utopia Academy…" As I ponder about my current predicament, I hear the sound of metal. Heavy, metallic footsteps reverberating across the hallway, and they grow stronger every second. I frantically glance around, my heart beating hard and fast.

There it goes again. Thud. Thud. **CRASH!**

Immediately, I feel an immense presence behind me. Slowly and fearfully, I turn my head…

And see a gigantic mecha. It was humanoid in shape, and was pure chrome through and through. It must be at least the same height as a giraffe, its head just a foot tall from scraping the ceiling. Its large arms were plated with thick metal, and it bears a face that looks very menacing. With large jet boosters and probably other hidden contraptions in various crevices, the mech is armed to the teeth.

At this point, I just pray it's a security bot. But when it raised its arm…

 **BOOM!**

If I hadn't dodged that thing's fist, I would have been paste by now. The only thing going through my mind now is get the hell out of here.

"HELP!" was what I screamed as I ran, hoping something, someone could hear me. In an instant, adrenaline rushed through my veins, and I bounded fast, faster than I have ever before with my tiny, fragile body.

I must look like a madman now, with my face contorted into one of fear, shock… But I didn't care. All I needed to do now was run.

The death machine started running as well, with its heavy feet pounding the floor so hard, it feels as if the entire place would just crumble. My body is screaming run, like an animal being viciously hunted down by an enormous predator. And to make things worse, my feet hurt due to the sheer amount of force received from pounding the floor. Even with decent shoes, it still aches.

Thankfully there are some curves in the hall, so I can outmaneuver the machine. I immediately enter the closest door I see, and slam it shut..

"Hah… Hah…" I take a moment to catch my breath, and then examine the area.

It seems that I have locked myself in a janitor's closet. This will definitely not provide me enough protection. I quickly scour around the janitor's closet, hoping to find anything of use. But then the door shakes and quakes. I fear for the worse.

In a second, the door gets smashed open, its metal parts falling apart like a crumbling tower. I use this chance to grab the first weapon I see to defend myself.

"HAHH!" With a battle cry, I slammed the robot's arm with all the force I could muster. An audible smash reverberated throughout the hall.

The result was fairly obvious, considering said "weapon" was just a metallic Clean-O-Stick and the wielder was pathetically weak. It broke, having done no damage to the killing machine. However, the robot seems to have been distracted for just a second, and that was all the time I needed to press on and continue running. I bolt away, just narrowly avoiding its arm.

Shortly after the destruction of the janitor's closet, the mecha chased after me yet again, and still manages to keep up, its menacing figure drawing ever close. Just how fast is that thing!? Here I am, exhausting myself while sweating a storm, and the robot is just casually catching up to me. My sweat falls on the floor, my face already pink from fatigue.

I kept on running, trying to find a way out of here. I try to formulate other plans in my mind, but apparently I cannot concentrate when my body is in overdrive, so I just ran and ran and ran and ran…

Until the inevitable happened.

"Ahh!" I cry in pain as I tripped spectacularly, falling into the floor face first. It hurts even more than normal, considering my momentum. Despite the aching pain in face, I eye the death machine, which has caught up to me. It raises it arm, ready to squish me like a pancake.

"No… It's too early for me to die…" I then cover my eyes, waiting for the embrace of death to consume me.

It never did. I felt like I was pulled forcefully from my position, just narrowly dodging death. I hear the loud sound of metal smashing the floor, and the sound of door closing.

"Huh…?" I slowly open my eyes to see my savior; Suzumi.

* * *

 **ASSEMBLY HALL**

"S-Suzumi!?" Honestly, I wanted to say more. But I just feel so terrified that I ended up hugging my childhood friend instead, shivering in fear. I'm alive.

"You're safe now, Miku," Suzumi says, patting my head to comfort me. "You're lucky that you tripped right in front of the door leading to the assemble hall!" As she said that, I release my hug and scan the area.

It looks like I'm in some immense gymnasium of some kind. The door I came from looked solid and very sturdy, so I doubt that the death machine wouldn't be able to enter. There was a very large open space, presumably for several hundreds of chairs, with an elevated stage up front and a massive holographic screen. The vast room was primarily black and white, with the symbol of Utopia Academy of the top of the stage…

Wait, the symbol of Utopia Academy?

Before I could ponder more about my current situation and location, I hear another familiar voice calling out to me.

"Miku! Are you alright!?" I look to the source, and I am glad to see my other childhood friend safe and sound.

"Kensuke! W-where are we…?" I choked, too tired and out of breath to talk for long. His eyes bear into me with concern, and the animal tamer hands me his handkerchief.

"Here, use this to wipe your sweat." I nod and take his hanky. "Okay, now let's meet up with the others, and I'll explain to you what happened." The others, huh? So they're safe, thankfully…

Suzumi and Kensuke escort me as we approach the other Utopics. Everyone had mixed faces; some were scared, others were angry, but most were confused.

"Oh, you're finally here, I see!" Dexter's loud and clear voice cuts the atmosphere. He eyes me with worry evident in his face. "Alright, I assume?" I nod hesitantly. With that, Dexter turns to the stadium and calls out, "You! All 18 Utopics have assembled, as you have requested! Show yourself!"

Huh? Who's he talking about? My question answered in an instant when the speakers boot up all of a sudden.

"Greetings, one and all! It seems everyone has gathered up!" A young man's jovial voice rang across the assembly hall. In fact, it is too jovial, especially considering our situation. Still, no one appears onstage.

"Hey! Ya better come here right now, else' I'm gonna personally smack ya down, asshole!" Cass thundered, bringing her fist up for emphasis.

"Whoa now! Easy there, kids! I guess you guys are that excited to see me, huh?" Everyone else's faces do not agree with that statement.

"Just get straight to the point and state thou business, fiend!" Hayato declares. The jovial voice then laughs heartily.

"Alright, alright! I'll show up!" Well, that settles it. This has got to be something more than just an elaborate ruse; after all, I nearly died back there.

Without warning, the lights closed (could have sworn I heard Cass swear too). Then, the spotlights focused onto the stage, and then smoke began filling the air, obscuring our vision. But amidst the smog, a silhouette can be seen. A silhouette of a man…

With six wings.

"What…?" Chihaya mutters curiously, actually putting effort for once. The athlete leans forward, eying the stage with morbid curiosity. Tokiko does the same, parroting Chihaya.

The smokes slowly clears out, and the figure is revealed. The pale man (probably as pale as Yuki) in question is dressed in a fine tuxedo that is black on the left side and white on the right side. His enormous wings are similar to those of angels and devils in classic mythology, with the right side set of wings being black and bat-like, and the left side being white like a dove's wing. He has long, shoulder length grey hair that is straight and smooth, with sharp bangs covering his forehead. His left eye has white irises and a black sclera, and his right eye has black irises and a regular white sclera. He has a very handsome face, devoid of any facial hair or imperfections, and has elf-like ears. His pants continue the same pattern as his tuxedo; being black on the left leg and white on the right leg.

Okay, first I want to say that this "man" has no sense of fashion. He's basically wearing a monochrome suit. I'm no Utopic Fashionista, but the outfit just looks plain tacky. Second, he is definitely not human. In fact, his left eye is constantly emitting a small blue fire. Everyone else is as unnerved as I am.

"Greetings," The angel-demon hybrid says with poise, looking at all us with serene grace. He then took off the ground and flew up, just floating above us. "So, what do you think? Do I look cool, or what?"

Seriously, that's first thing he asks!? Well whatever this creature was, I'm pretty sure it's a hypergram. You know, those super realistic holograms that you can smell, hear and see.

"Well…" Chihaya started. He paused for a bit, then spoke again. "You're one of those… amusement park mascots… right? Not very cute, though…" There goes Chihaya, being very calm and "out there".

"Do not be fooled by this farce," Asuka barks, standing in front of everyone. "I may not be ordered to take you down, but I know you're in here somewhere, you trickster."

"This must be an apparition of some sorts!" Shintaro beams in delight, and brings out a notebook. "Now this I MUST record!" Still the enthusiastic one, I see.

"You better show up and stop this illusion of yours. Or else," Misao threatened, keeping her attention on guard.

"That's a hypergram, right?" Suzumi asks, completely dumbfounded at the sight of this… thing. Great minds think alike, I suppose. Suddenly, the angel-demon sighs.

"A hypergram? Oh please, my dear students! I can assure you, I am real!" He then flew near me, and I lept back in surprise upon the creature's landing. He patted me on the head and stroked my hair as if I were a dog.

"See? I can touch you students," He says happily, humming as he continues playing with my hair. I normally like this, but it's a strange man doing it, so…

"Um, you stop now. I-I think everyone can see," I say softly. The creature, shockingly, stopped and moved back.

"Wow! This is quite fascinating!" Harukaze says brightly, clapping her hands in joy. "So you must be from Heaven, right?" She then rubs her chin in deep thought. "Or perhaps from Hell? I'm not very sure…"

Chihaya abruptly strides up to the creature. "Hey, listen… I want to touch… Your wings…" The angel-demon looks bewildered, but obliges.

Chihaya pokes and prods the man's angel wings for a few moments. His eyes light up. "… Poofy." He then reaches out touches the creature's face, tugging his cheeks out. So casually! But to our surprise, the athlete lets out a sigh.

"Feels… Squishy… Like human flesh. Boring," Chihaya notes in disappointment, and backs off to rejoin the rest of the group. Looks like he really can't keep up with his own eagerness.

"Oh my, how unreal!" Zange exclaimed. "How could an angel-demon hybrid actually walk among us? Hmmhmm! Very interesting!"

Various voices around the gymnasium clashed and mixed. Numerous Utopics are confused; Others like Seiko and Misao still look unconvinced.

"Okay, so you're real," Dexter said in a clear and loud voice, shutting off all other interference in the room. "The most important question here is, when are we going to start class? This is Utopia Academy, no?" Yeah Dexter, that's not the biggest concern right now!

"No, no! What we all need to know is why there is a giant killer robot out in the halls!?" I scream uncontrollably, still feeling the fear of death. "That thing nearly flattened me!"

"Yeah, what was the deal with that mech, man?" Norio chimed in, backing me up.

"T-that machine nearly flattened me too!" A scared Shiro squeaked. "I-I was lucky to be saved b-by Hayato!"

"Let me reassure you, my comrades; I have never seen or built a mechanical construct of the same nature as that demonic contraption!" Hayato declares.

"Please, please Utopics," The demon sighs in disbelief. He then flew up again, floating above while looking down on us. "Why don't you let me explain everything first, so that all will come to clarity?"

"Yes, that would be much obliged, mister," Zange says, stepping forward and immediately taking control of the situation. "We're all still in the dark, and we need to hear him out!" Yeah, who would trust an angel-demon hybrid's word? But he's got a point.

"Thank you very much, Zange!" The suited monster exclaimed, and lands on the stadium, with the spotlights targeted to him.

"I am Monocifer, the current Headmaster of Utopia Academy." What did he just say? Headmaster?

"Headmaster? You?" Kensuke repeats Monocifer's words with suspicion.

"Why yes! After all, who else but the great Monocifer is worthy and graceful enough to guide you Utopics?" Is this guy serious? This must be all some sort of joke!

"Ugh, could you please stop this nonsense? And seriously guys, this 'Monocifer' is just a joke. No need to be afraid of him," Seiko reassures. Oh, when did he start comforting people?

"But Seiko, how sure are you that he's just joking around? I mean, I know this is an angel-thing we're talking about but it's the only one that knows about our current situation," Masumi retorts, being the voice of reason.

"Yes, yes! Thank you Masumi! I do indeed know about your current situation!" Monocifer says slyly, displaying a creepy smile. Oh boy. "So that means you should shut up and listen to me!" Well, that worked. Everyone seems to have simmered down. When we all became quiet, Monocifer straighten up his grey bowtie and calmed himself down. Does he have anger issues?

"Now let me explain. First of all, that robot is guarding the hallway for any intruders. In order to not be attacked by it, you will be needing these Holo-IDs!" Monocifer declares. As if on cue, numerous cards rain down from the ceiling. It looks like a Holo-ID. They all then levitated on top of our palms. I press the button on the silver card, and it opens up.

The hologram shown is my name, picture and personal information. The symbol of the Utopia Academy can be seen on the top left corner of the hologram.

"So what are these going to do to the robot? Make our names known before it smashes us?" Norio asks, adding that last sentence as an afterthought.

"No, not all. The guard robot will only attack intruders, so as long as the Holo-ID is in your person, they will not attack you," Monocifer explains. "Also, that Holo-ID will receive updates and information should I send them to all of you." He's so calm and civil about this whole situation that it is making me uneasy…

Monocifer then snapped his fingers, and all the lights turned on again, and the spotlights turned off. "So my dear students, any questions?" So many questions are obviously floating through my mind now. But I can't straighten my mind, so someone else raises their hand.

"Um, Monocifer?" Suzumi said while extending her hand. Monocifer nodded, and Suzumi smiled, and continued. "When is class going to start?"

"Class? Oh don't worry about class, my dear students. We'll all be staying here in this space academy, safe and sound! Forever~" Monocifer said jubilantly, flapping his wings in uh, delight, I guess?

"Forever? We're going to stay in the academy forever?" Shintaro said, his voice tainted in worry.

"… Please tell us you're kidding." Tokiko said, her face becoming slightly colored with anger.

"I can assure all of you that this is no joke! We get to stay in the beautiful academy forever," Monocifer beamed, then jumped up and danced midair, his feathers from his angel wings fluttering down on us. Suddenly, Cass began pushing the rest of the students, her face contorted into one of pure anger. Oh boy…

"Hey, fucker! You get down here right now!" Cass growls at Monocifer. The monochrome creature replies by slowly hovering down, floating just above her.

"My dear student, mind your language. Didn't your father ever teach you manners?" Monocifer said as politely as possible. However, Cass is not pleased.

"Shut up, bitch! Ya better stop messin' with us, or else I'm gonna ram ya face with my fist!" Cass looks like she could burst any moment now. Oh no.

"Cassandra, stand down. Let me handle this," Kensuke said, suddenly standing in front of Cass. She is at least willing to listen to reason and backs off, though she still looks pissed.

"Where are all the staff members, Monocifer? Surely you know that we are supposed to have our opening ceremony here, right?" Go Kensuke! Being so mature and calm was always his specialty.

"Oh, no need for them," Monocifer replied quickly. "I can assure you that you will all enjoy our stay here in this wonderful academy of learning." Upon hearing this, Asuka steps forward, her gaze looking very serious.

"If you do not call the staff, I can contact the police and ask them to arrest you for keeping us trapped here," Asuka stated, her hands clenched into fists. Monocifer then frowns at Asuka's words.

"That's an empty threat, if I ever heard of one, dear Asuka," Monocifer retorted. "I should remind you that you're all trapped in here, cut off from the outside world. No help is coming. Nothing."

Upon hearing Monocifer's horrifying declaration, the whole atmosphere changed. I glance from Utopic to Utopic, seeing how they're holding up. The prouder and smarter ones have displeased expression, with Seiko looking very annoyed for example. Cass still looks incredibly pissed, while Chihaya, Tokiko and Norio are quiet, their emotions unreadable. Tokiko in particular however, has her fists balled up into fists.

The more reserved ones like Misao, Asuka and Harukaze look particularly worried, and the two jittering Utopics Shiro and Yuki and quaking in their boots. Masumi and Zange try to calm the rest with failing results, while Suzumi is huddled close to Kensuke, hugging him. At this point, I set aside my petty crush on Kensuke and step forward.

I then put forth my best effort into sounding stern, but it comes off as begging. "Y-you can't just keep us all in here f-forever!" Everyone in the room looks at me with surprised faces, so I conclude that I have everyone's attention.

"I don't know who or what you are, but you have no authority to trap us Utopics!" I feel my confidence rising, as I feel the silent support from my classmates. However, it is ineffective against Monocifer, who sports an unimpressed expression on his face.

"Dear Miku, I thought you were intelligent. Can you not understand? You cannot get out, even if everyone in this room begs for it," Monocifer says with frightening strictness, then snaps his fingers. A giant hologram screen then projected onto the stage, and Monocifer moved away so we could see what's on it.

"Holy…" Cass said, her jaws dropping and her eyes as wide as saucers. On the screen is…

An enormous metallic, grey dragon. It had two enormous wings, two arms and two legs and was shaped like a bipedal, western styled dragon. Its tail was very long and had some sort of particle cannon on the tip of its tail. On its shoulders, giant jets are mounted, and its body was large and filled with armor and numerous, smaller cannons. Its head was indeed shaped like a dragon's, with large protruding horns and vicious fangs decorating its metallic face.

"W-what is that!?" Hayato asks in a shrill voice, his face shifting into a fearful expression.

"That thing looks like a dragon," Misao says, still looking unimpressed. She might be thinking of hacking it and using it to ram Monocifer, but that would kill us too.

"It looks kinda cool!" Tokiko says aloud, smiling at the sight of the dragon. Seriously? That's all what you can say about it?

"…Cool…" Chihaya repeats, star struck. "I kinda wanna fight it…" Th-That's even worse!

"Isn't it? That's my lovely pet and guardian, the Monodragon!" Monocifer says proudly. "The Monodragon is a 1000 foot tall mecha that defends the academy with its incredibly powerful weapons! It's even capable of faster-than-light movement and perception and is even strong enough to casually rip apart even the largest of stars!"

Just hearing that description makes me fear it immensely. If the guard mecha just outside was already scary, then this Monodragon is even scarier!

"That mechanical kaiju can easily destroy even the largest of stars!? Even the largest stars have a diameter of a few billion miles!" Masumi rambles, her face in utter shock and disbelief. A mecha that can easily tear apart an object several billion miles wide… That is immensely more powerful than any other mecha developed by the global military!

"My word… And just what is that thing defending the academy from?" Dexter inquires, struggling to maintain his composure. Whether it's because he is fanboying about the mecha or is frightened of the thing is one thing I'm not sure of.

"From any attempt of an outside force trying to break into the academy," Monocifer smiles as he said this. "We can't afford any distraction from our game after all…"

Game? What is he talking about now? Everything this creep says freaks me out.

"So basically, we're all held hostage by a rogue android and a rogue mecha in Utopia Academy, and no one outside knows what's going on inside. How charming," Seiko purred sarcastically.

"That's so not cool, man," Norio chimes in, his expression looking sour.

"H-how will we ever go back to our h-homes…?" Shiro asked, but Monocifer paid no attention to her.

"Okay, so we can't leave, we can't expect rescue. Just what is your agenda here?" Kensuke inquires, his emotions never fluctuating. Monocifer suddenly had this excited smile on his face, as if eager to tell us a story or something. He doesn't say anything for a few moments, and everyone looks tense. Until finally…

"Oh, that's very simple, my dear students. All you need to do kill each other."

* * *

 **Boom! There we have it; the last of the introductions, even the introduction of the "Mono" is here! And oh no, Monocifer wants the kids to kill each other? Why?**

 **Monocifer: Oh, so you're the author, huh? And this is where you "talk" with your readers… Very interesting, I see!**

 **Whoa, you can break the fourth wall Monocifer!?**

 **Monocifer: Yes, my dear author! You made me! And oh, why did you have to end on a cliffhanger? That is very harsh, is it not?**

 **Ehh, whatever man. Anyways, reply to the reviews time!**

 **bluesnowkitty – Thanks, buddy! Yeah, I'm glad you noticed that constrast I made with those three! And don't worry, I did say the drawings were optional.**

 **Monocifer: Oh, so you want your OC to die? You're a sadist! But my dear reader, the future is uncertain.**

 **IfTimeWasStill – Very sorry for the late updates, but now I'll try to update every two weeks, three weeks if my summer class gets in the way. Thanks, and I intend to finish this story!**

 **Monocifer: *snickers* Hmm, your username is "IfTimeWasStill", yet you age? How very amusing!**

 **Nemris: Well, did I submit in two weeks? Because I'm sure I did! And yes, the characters will be interacting even more, just you wait!**

 **Monocifer: Planet nicknames, huh? Hmm, I wonder what nickname she will give me…**

 **Well, that's all guys. Thanks for reading and come back in two weeks!**

 **Monocifer: Or three, if my dear Apex here gets lazy.**

 **Shut up, Monocifer!**

 **Apex out.**


	6. Prologue VI

**Apex here!**

 **Okay, I promise this is the last of the prologue. Killing comes next. Maybe. Who knows? (I do)**

 ***ahem* Anyways, I'll be deciding what Free Time Events will happen in the coming chapters, so you all can vote up to two people. Two only, kay? Make sure you vote for the one who you want to see the most.**

 **Oh, and if you're having a hard time imagining all the holographic items and stuffs, just try to think of Iron Man's "touch interface" holograms. You know, the one in the Iron Man movies and Avengers movies from Marvel Cinematic Universe. Wait, you have no idea what those are? Are you living under a rock or something? Either way, something like that. Look it up.**

 **What else… Oh, I guess have fun, and enjoy the update!**

* * *

 **PROLOGUE - THE 100TH CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY/6**

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – ASSEMBLY HALL**

Kill… That word. It's a very simple thing. It has only one syllable and has a very direct meaning; to put an end to someone or something's life. It is something I never would have thought of hearing here in the prestigious academy that is called Utopia. There was an eerie silence blanketing the hall, but Cass cut it short.

"Hey Monofucker, I've got a brilliant idea for ya. Why don't ya stop screwing with us, huh!?" Cass rolls up her sleeves and gives Monocifer the "dirty finger". Her anger has skyrocketed to the point where she ignores everyone else in front of her and pushes them all away.

"Cassandra Delsin, I implore you to-" Dexter is violently cut off as Cass glares at him, sending shivers up my spine; despite said look not being directed to me.

"Oh, spare me ya nerd words, Prissy Pants!" Cass then redirected her glare to Monocifer, who seems to be smiling despite the painter giving him a death gaze. "I may be a darn painter, but I've got a fiery temper so I reckon' you wouldn't want to fuck around with me!" Monocifer responds by chuckling at Cass, showing absolutely no signs of being intimidated.

"Please, what can you do to me? You can't even hurt me with your words; how much more if you tried physical harm?" He then landed near Cass and in an instant, brought his left hand dangerously close to Cass's neck. And upon closer inspection, his fingernails grew, becoming thrice as long and sharp. "Despite your rough and gruff anger, you detest violence, my dear…"

Asuka looks ready to intercept Monocifer, her arms and body positioned in a battle stance.

"You are nothing compared to me." Monocifer's eerie words reverberated throughout the entire gymnasium, contributing more to the grim atmosphere. That's it, he is _legitimately_ creepy. Even Cass is unnerved, as she backed off, not saying a word. Monocifer softened his position and grinned.

"Now that's a good girl. Okay class-"

Monocifer stops abruptly as his body stiffened, and then a gust of wind cuts into the monochrome devil at a high speed. It was all too quick for me to perceive, so it took me a couple of seconds to actually fully analyze what the heck just happened.

It appears that Tokiko (The Utopic Timer of all people) tried to bull-rush and punch the living daylights out of Monocifer. Her attempt to damage the demonic angel failed, as Monocifer raised a force field of some kind, blocking the timer's attack just in the nick of time. And no, pun not intended.

"W-what the heck just happened…?" Norio sputters, shocked at the prospect that such a delicate looking girl could actually pull off such superhuman feats (Well, I bet Norio is capable of superhuman feats too, considering his talent). If even he, a trained and seasoned fighter, couldn't see the timer dash and punch Monocifer, then Tokiko must have pretty good uh, reflexes. I glance at Kensuke, who seems to be clutching his right shoulder. I go near him and try to comfort him.

"What happened?" I ask out of concern. He looks at me with a strained smile.

"No, nothing," Kensuke reassures me gently. "I just think Tokiko bumped into my shoulder as she dashed past me." Well, Kensuke was blocking everyone's path so I guess the timer just pushed aside my childhood friend. I then glance at the timer, and she looks furious.

"You… piss me off…" Tokiko glowers in a dangerously low tone, her face seething with rage. She seems to be a completely different person now. I glance at everyone, and even they seem as shocked as I am. Monocifer puts down his force field and flew up, still maintaining his smile. Is he… retreating from Tokiko?

"… Whoa," Chihaya mutters, as if shocked. But his tone is so laid-back that his emotions and facial expression betray his words.

"I didn't see her dash past Kensuke…" Asuka trails off, clutching her left eye. Okay, even a soldier of all people couldn't see her throwing a punch at Monocifer? Tokiko is officially on my "do not piss off" list. I wouldn't want a hypersonic fist flying at me.

"Oh? Did I finally anger the daughter of the so-called 'God of Time'?" Monocifer mocks, his voice filled with contempt. Tokiko responds by glaring at the crazed demon, her usual air headedness completely vanished. The timer then yells in various languages that I don't understand.

" _Fick dich! Putang ina mo! Va te faire foutre!_ " W-what? What did she did just say? Everyone else looks as confused as me, with the exception of Dexter (who most definitely knows the meaning of these words) and shows a disgusted expression on his face. I mentally note myself to ask the prodigy about this, since it's making me curious.

"You… You dare lock us in here and then tell us to kill each other!?" Tokiko thunders in fury, her voice loud enough to rival Cass's angry voice. "Who are _you_ to decide that!?"

"Who am I to decide? Well, I am your headmaster!" Monocifer replies quickly. It's like he doesn't even acknowledge Tokiko's wrath… She's easily one of the most frightening people when angry I've met so far, scarier than even Cass. Color me surprised with this new information!

"H-headmaster? B-but you can't be! He… He interviewed us, and he definitely d-doesn't look like you!" Yuki pipes up, still jittery and nervous as always. At least he's holding up quite well, considering his rather timid personality.

"Yes, he's correct! You don't expect us to believe that are our real headmaster, do you?" Suzumi adds, her usual cheery demeanor replaced with one of strictness. It's very rare for me to see Suzumi this serious and stern.

"Let's just say that there's been a change of plans, my dear students," Monocifer insists, as he lands on top of the stage. He then looks at Tokiko, his face slightly contorted into a frown.

"Also, don't do that again. As your headmaster, you are not permitted to commit any sort of physical violence towards me, Monocifer." Tokiko just looks away, crossing her arms. She's definitely not in the mood to talk. She has (thankfully) calmed down somewhat, though I can tell she's still in a really sour about the whole situation.

"So anyways, back on topic!" Monocifer beams, returning to his smiling, overenthusiastic side. He likes to flip-flop between personalities. It's creepy and weird…

"What, you mean about the killing? There's no way I'd listen to your demands," Misao interjects. I really hope she can try and hack Monocifer's firewalls so we can escape, but she doesn't even have a Holotop with her. Heck, even a regular laptop would work out. I mean it's not like she will need a holographic, touch interface device to hack properly… But that's entirely beside the point.

"But I'm certain you all will! After all, the only way for someone to leave this institution is for someone to commit murder, or homicide if you will!" Monocifer explains. Wait, we can leave only if we can murder another? That's _insane_! I open my mouth to protest, but I am too late, as someone else beats me to the punch.

"T-that's scary! N-no one would k-k-k-kill!" Shiro screams in protest, her nervousness skyrocketing.

"Murder is wrong!" Suzumi cries. "And none of us are corrupt enough do to such things!" Yes, I believe no one here is wicked enough to sacrifice others' lives to buy their own freedom.

"You fiend! How dare you tempt us with thy escape just to make us kill each other!?" Hayato yells, still keeping his overly hammy side but mixed it with his own anger. "If I had a mecha to slay thine fallen angel, I would have done it already!"

"Why do you want us to kill in the first place?" Asuka inquires sharply. Her stance remains as vigilant as ever, her legs poised for action the moment Monocifer tries something funny. She's definitely a soldier.

"Why do I want you to kill each other? That's simple, my dear students," Monocifer replies ever so calmly. "Because you will all succumb to killing each other either way. I'm just giving you the boost you Utopics need!" _Sick bastard, I'm pretty sure you just enjoy bloodshed._

"There is absolutely no way anyone is killing!" Zange steps in, standing up to the monochromatic demon. "As long as I stand, no one is going to kill! I swear on it!" Looks like it's his time to shine and as a political icon, he is of course skilled in leadership and pep talk.

"We may be trapped at your mercy, but the law will never abide by this! I am a hundred percent sure that the global government will not turn a blind eye to your atrocities!" Zange then turns around and looks at all of us. He looks like a real leader now. "So we better not lose hope! Until rescue arrives, we must not give in to him!"

All of a sudden, I feel rejuvenated and refreshed. I allow Zange's optimism to burn into my memory and let them course through my veins. The Utopic Political Activist succeeds in alleviating my worries, and I glance at everyone else to see if his words reached them too.

Yuki and Shiro, the two most nervous of the Utopics, are actually looking better. They have small smiles on their faces, and for once aren't shivering in fright. Norio, Chihaya, Harukaze, Cass, Shintaro and Masumi all have smiles on their faces, with Chihaya in particular looking less tense and more relaxed like he usually is.

As for Hayato, he is looking as exuberant as usual, grinning widely. Tokiko wears a small grin, which is an achievement given her recent temperament. Seiko has an unreadable expression on his face, while Misao just looks bored.

Asuka isn't smiling, but she does seem less tense and stiff than usual. Kensuke and Dexter are also glancing at everyone else, their faces in surprise as they analyze everyone's reactions. And Suzumi looks as chirpy as ever, displaying a confident grin. This is amazing! Zange managed to lift nearly everyone's spirits, mine included. Zange smiles as he gazes from Utopic to Utopic, and then stares back at Monocifer.

"See? We are the Utopics, the hope of the coming generation! The likes of you could never break our spirits!" Zange declares. Despite all of what has just transpired, Monocifer just looks unamused. He isn't even smiling, he's just unimpressed with the current state of affairs. Just what is he up to now?

"Yeah, let's see you keep up that façade when I reiterate that you are trapped here forever. Need I remind you of my magnificent Monodragon?" Ugh, not that mechanical abomination. The mere mention of that thing makes me quiver in fear.

And then all of a sudden, the lights in the gymnasium all closed. I am instantly blanketed in darkness as I hear various Utopics complaining. But a bright blue light emanates from the stadium. Slowly, I turn towards the source and see Monocifer wrapped in eerie blue flames.

 **"YOU ARE ALL TRAPPED IN HERE FOREVER. ABSOLUTELY NO RESCUE SHALL ARRIVE."** Monocifer's voice became monotone, and sounded akin to that of a demon's in horror flicks. His eyes are covered with enormous blue flames, and his entire body is alight with the same blue inferno. The entire assembly hall, no, the entire academy shook and quivered, as if it was terrified of Monocifer's fury. He looks absolutely horrifying right now, and is worthy of having part of Lucifer's name. Not a single Utopic said a word. Even Tokiko, who was recently furious with Monocifer, didn't even peep a sound.

The lights then suddenly turned back on, and all of Monocifer's demonic blue flames disappeared. His trademark gentle smile and calm composure returned, as if what just happened a while ago was a dream.

"Now I hope you understood, my dear students. So you either have to kill, or stay in here forever."

It takes a while for his words to truly sink into my mind. Monocifer is serious, he really intends on keeping us in here forever. He has guard mechas, a colossal battle dragon, and probably some serious firepower and security measures; all built to keep us in here indefinitely. At this point, I lose all of my previous hope that Zange offered to us. Is this how my life is going to be from this point on?

"Now, allow me to give you the rules of our wonderful stay here in Utopia Academy! Please, check your Holo-IDs!" As soon as he finished, my Holo-ID vibrated, snapping me out of my trance. I shake my head, determined to stay hopeful. I then open my Holo-ID and it projects a hologram of a list of some sort. It reads… "Rules and Regulations for Utopia Academy".

 **RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR UTOPIA ACADEMY – By Monocifer!**

 **1\. Students are to live a communal life in Utopia Academy for an indefinite period. For your leisure and safety, there are plenty of security drones and guard mechas. Also, basic necessities are provided and restocked every day, such as food, water, shelter and clothes.**

 **As such, students may only reside within the academy. Leaving the school grounds is highly discouraged by the headmaster.**

 **2\. Night time is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas-such as the cafeteria-are off limits at night, so please exercise extreme caution during these times.**

 **3\. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory areas shall be viewed as "slacking off" and will be punished accordingly, unless the student is feeling unwell and as such will be brought to the infirmary. However, spending the night in the infirmary when NOT sick or otherwise unwell will be punished. Additionally, only one person may choose to stay with the sick student for the night.**

 **4\. Throwing away or lending of Holo-IDs is strictly prohibited. You are expected to have your Holo-ID in your person at all times. You can unlock and lock the door to your dorm simply using your Holo-ID.**

 **5\. Some facilities, like the restrooms and dressing rooms, are not co-ed. Males and females should remain in their corresponding areas, as the headmaster frowns upon acts of public lasciviousness. As such, the doors leading to the rooms require your Holo-ID to verify your sex.**

 **However, if you wish to engage in "juvenile hormonal" acts, please do so in private and within your dormitory rooms.**

 **6\. All students are free to explore Utopia Academy at your own discretion. There are minimal restrictions to this rule.**

 **7\. Violence against the headmaster is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of private property.**

 **8\. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes "blackened" will be allowed to leave Utopia Academy, unless they are discovered.**

 **9\. Students may not proceed to the next floor of the main building unless you either catch a "blackened" or you defeat a floor guardian.**

 **10\. Alternatively, students may also choose to leave the academy if the Monodragon is defeated. It is literally suicide to go against the Monodragon though, so go ahead and die.**

 **11\. Additional school regulations may be added if deemed necessary by the headmaster.**

 **Please enjoy your stay in the wonderful Utopia Academy!**

"Now that everything is in order, I guess it will safe for me to take my leave." Monocifer then bows elegantly. "But first, I have to introduce someone to all of you!" Oh great, he has a _henchman?_

Monocifer then snapped his fingers again, and suddenly something appeared beside him.

It was strange being, appearing like a fairy from classical European mythology. The thing is as small as young child, if my estimation is approximate. I guess it's a female, due to its overall look. The tiny fairy has silver eyes and rosy cheeks. She has long white, messy hair with a single black strand that stands out of her hair like an ahogae.

Her clothes (If fairies even had clothes) consists of a large black ribbon in her hair, a long-sleeved black dress with two crimson buttons with a frilly white collar, and a pair of small crimson shoes. Being a fairy, she has a pair of nearly translucent cyan wings attached to her back that allow her to hover and fly. Though the upper part of her body has an appearance similar to that of a small child's, her wings really set her apart from looking like a regular human.

"This is Monofairy, your caretaker and my slave," Monocifer announces. "She's kinda shy, but she'll warm up eventually to you, my dear students!"

The fairy creature in question lowered her head in shame. So she's his _slave_ and our _caretaker?_ Man, Monocifer must have really planned all of this. Just how insane is this fallen angel-demon man?

"Now Monofairy, would you please watch over our dear students?" Monocifer commands eloquently, and the fairy creature nods in response. After that, Monocifer leaps out of the assembly and teleports away. Now we're all left here with just our conflicted thoughts. All of what's left… A strange pixie, 18 Utopics, and a grim atmosphere.

No one is talking. Everyone is unnerved, and the reality of killing each other is very real. No one seems to speak… Until Kensuke breaks the silence.

"Guys. We can't just stand here and frown at each other. We have to do something." Everyone looks at him, all their attention diverted to him.

"What do you propose we do?" Hayato asks, his face contorted into one of deep thought. He seems very displeased, his usual hamminess gone.

"We should at least try to talk about these rules we were just given," Kensuke suggests, and he holds up his Holo-ID, showing the rules. He then points at rule number two.

 **2\. Night time is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas-such as the cafeteria-are off limits at night, so please exercise extreme caution during these times.**

"I propose we impose on ourselves an additional rule; make it mandatory for everyone to stay indoors for the duration of night time. Loitering around in the dark might make one vulnerable to attack, and I assume that no one here wishes to be killed on the spot." Kensuke then frowns, but continues talking. "Our dormitory rooms here is unlocked only by presenting the proper camper's E-Handbook, so as long as we remain in our cabins all night, we will be safe from harm." That… makes sense. But really, is anyone willing to kill?

"But this will not be an official rule, so Monocifer cannot enforce it. However, I believe this additional rule would be of our best interests."

"That certainly makes sense," Harukaze consents. "I support this proposal."

"Yes, very logical and intellectual indeed this plan," Seiko comments. _Wow, since when did he start complimenting people?_

Various Utopics all murmur in agreement. I too agree since our situation is pretty dangerous. I do hope Kensuke knows what he's saying; his words can be mistakenly interpreted as "someone might kill, so be alert". I absolutely believe no one would kill, and Kensuke should know that.

But, among the crowd of Utopics, a few find disagreement to the animal tamer's proposal.

"A few" being the Utopic Painter.

"Yeah, as if I would let myself be restricted by a psychotic angel-demon thing!" Cass growls, her mood once again sour like a lemon. "Do you guys really trust that damn demon!? Or even that damn flying slave right in front of us!?" Cass points accusingly at the little thing, who is apparently named Monofairy if I heard Monocifer correctly. She jumps up in shock, and looks very frightened.

"O-oh, no! Please, I'm not here to harm you or anything!" Monofairy retorts. "I-I was just forced by Monocifer to serve under him, but I don't desire harm upon you students!"

"Then why are ya following that dork of a demon in the first place if ya don't want to harm us?" Norio asks suspiciously, his eyes glued to the tiny girl.

"T-that's because Monocifer is too powerful for me to challenge… He could defeat me in combat if I rebel a-against him!" Monofairy stutters. She seems to be pushed into a corner, forced to serve under Monocifer and thus; is forced to not act against his will. But this might all be just a ruse. Who knows what kind of tricks the demon and this critter have in mind?

"How sure are you that you aren't joking with us?" Masumi inquired, her eyes burning into the fairy.

"Yeah, you might also secretly want us to kill each other as well!" Shintaro adds, further scaring the fair folk. "I have read countless mythology books, and fairies aren't exactly kind. They're mischievous and cunning, contrary to how they're usually portrayed in media!"

"That, and you seem to have the same color scheme going on with our so-called headmaster," Misao interjects. Everyone looks much disorganized now, various Utopics muttering left and right.

"N-no! You see, I'm just his s-servant," Monofairy explains. "He just kept me alive to serve under him… I'm not doing this on my own volition!"

"… She's cute, so I can trust her…" Chihaya interjects, staring at the strange pixie, who blushes a bit. _That's_ your best reasoning? Geez, Chihaya is so out of it, honestly. Doesn't he realize we're stuck in here unless someone decides to kill another?

"I agree with Chi-Chi. Little fairy girl doesn't look like she could hurt a fly," Tokiko adds, her anger fully dissipated. She even went near Monofairy and tugged her cheeks like one would do to a stuffed toy. "She's soft."

"Hey, hey," Chihaya interjects, and strides towards the fairy. He pets her on the head. "I wanna touch too…" Well, those two seem to take a liking towards Monofairy. I can't blame them; She looks like a cute kid cosplaying as a fantasy creature for Halloween. While those two air-headed Utopics continue to caress the adorable pixie (Who is very flustered at their actions), a certain mecha engineer clears his throat and everyone glances at said Utopic.

"Even though she may look cute and harmless, she's still an underling to that dastardly insane demon!" Hayato booms, pointing an accusing finger at the fairy. "She could be lying to us in order to grab our sympathy!"

"So whaddaya think guys?" Cass questions as she flicks her hair in a very sassy manner. "We should interrogate her, ya know?"

"No, we shouldn't do that! That's something people do to people who commit crimes," Suzumi counters, jumping into Monofairy's defense. "Monofairy hasn't done anything bad so far; and we shouldn't judge her based on assumptions, or her position as underling to our captor." Everyone's confused on who to trust now. I can't blame them-even I'm stumped.

"I will reserve any sort of judgment of our caretaker for now," Asuka declares sharply, her gaze ever serious. She then redirects her ever watchful gaze at the monochromatic fairy. "However, should you harm any of the other Utopics, then I will personally strike you down." Asuka's threat causes Monofairy to shake all over. I don't know if I should start pitying her or not.

"Pardon, Mercury! You do know that it is illegal to harm the officials in any way, correct?" Masumi queries, calling Asuka by another planet nickname. Asuka doesn't look at Masumi, she instead closes her eyes, as if in meditation.

"The rule only stated to not inflict violence upon Monocifer," Asuka replies coldly. "Besides, it's fine if I get punished, as long everyone else is safe." Well someone's self-sacrificial.

"No, that's not a healthy way of thinking, Asuka," Kensuke cuts in, crossing his arms as he did. "You should also be taking care of not just us, but yourself. You're a soldier, true. But you're also a Utopic; you're one of us." Asuka shakes her head in response.

"No. I am lower than any of you, so my sacrifice wouldn't exactly detriment you. Maybe it would detriment everyone in security as I promise to provide defense as my soldier's oath." That is a really messed up way of thinking. Why does she believe she's below us? We're all Utopics!

"Asuka Minami, that is not an option!" Dexter declares, his eyes bearing into Asuka. "While I am the most intelligent out of everyone currently present, even I have to admit that in here, we are all equal and as such, sacrificing yourself would not be an intelligent move to make. Your intention may be noble, but it is illogical to do such a thing." Asuka stares at Dexter, but I can't seem to read her emotions. She doesn't say anything though, and just continued to stare at the intellectual prodigy.

"So anyways, can we all trust the little fairy chick?" Norio asks lazily, his arms slung across his neck. "If ya all' still don't trust her, I can always keep an eye on her, and beat the crap out of her if she does anythin' fishy."

Shocked, Masumi cries, "Norio! You would hurt a female!?" Norio just shrugged in response.

"Hey, I've fought some gals in my time as a Virtual Gladiator. So yeah." Masumi gapes in disbelief, but chooses not to say another word and withdraws.

"Back on topic guys. I believe she's trustworthy," Kensuke reasons, and Monofairy smiles at the animal tamer. "Besides, she said it herself. She's as much of a victim as we are."

Various murmurs of agreements can be heard, though there are still a few concerns and suspicions. Monofairy smiles brightly upon our collective decision, deciding to focus on the people who do trust her. I'll be honest, I am a little wary about her… But what the heck, right?

"T-thank you for t-trusting me… I'm sure we can somehow try to stop Monocifer."

"But wait Monofairy, why don't you tell us about the situation? I mean, you just said you're in our side," Shintaro suggests, his earlier hostile attitude towards the fairy gone like the wind.

"I-I really wish I could. But Monocifer has ears everywhere, and if I so much as say a single letter of the truth, I'll be erased from existence…" Erased from existence!? Just how powerful is Monocifer? Is he a god? Or maybe...a being beyond a god?

"…Oh. Well, what do we do now then…?" Chihaya wonders, and everyone follows suit. As I continue to ponder on our predicament, someone else cuts in.

"But the real question is, what could be the real motive of Monocifer for kidnapping and trapping us?" Suzumi asks, pulling in a new topic. Various Utopics questioned one another, seeking answers. However, I think I have an idea.

"Maybe he is doing this for ransom?" I suggest. "Like, for some purpose like money? After, he is basically keeping us hostage." The second I finish my piece, someone interjects.

"I don't think so Miku," Misao counter, disagreeing with me. "After all, why would he need to keep us in here with all the basic needs for us to live?" She's got a point there.

"S-she's right… W-what could be M-Monocifer's m-motivations b-be…?" Shiro muses nervously, biting her fingers. "I-I'm stumped… N-nothing's coming t-to mind…"

"A-actually, I think I h-have an idea about our captor's m-motivations," Yuki speaks out, after he was previous knitting his eyebrows in deep concentration. "I think M-Monocifer is giving us all these needs so that we won't try to escape…" I frown in response, because I have a counter argument for that. However, I decide to keep my voice low. I don't want to startle the therapist.

"Yuki, if that were case then why would he tell us to kill each other?" I retort softly. "That statement alone would make us want to leave this place in fear."

"Hmm, both of you raise equally good points," Zange cuts in. He glances back and forth between me and Yuki. "But when you think about it, Monocifer is not human. His motivations may be completely different from what we may think of it to be."

"I believe we should all adapt to our current problem," Tokiko cuts in, and offers a suggestion. "Since Monocifer said we will staying here forever, we should try to adjust and follow rule number one. You know, the one about living a communal life indefinitely." What, why would she suggest something like that? If we did that, we would never see our family again…

"Well that would be a logical course of action Tokiko," Misao agrees with the timer. "But that would mean we have to accept the fact that we will never see our family and loved ones ever again, and I doubt everyone else in here would be willing to do that."

"No way in hell am I agreeing to that shit!" Cass violently retorts. "We all should find a way outta here!"

"But Cass, Monocifer said it himself that we can't escape on our own…" Suzumi reasons, but of course Cass doesn't look too convinced.

"Yo Suzumi, nothin' is truly airtight, ya know?" Cass replies. "Side's, all we need ta do is to work together and find a way out!" I… have to disagree with that. Monocifer said it himself; it's zero escape in here. And the demonic headmaster seems pretty serious about that…

"… Or," Chihaya starts, and holds up his Holo-ID. He then points at rule number 10. "We could defeat the Monodragon." Seriously, does he still want to fight that dragon? That "Monodragon" could probably wipe out the entire solar system in one attack. We could never stand a chance.

"N-no! None of you are capable of even damaging that horrid monster!" Monofairy yells in panic. "It's too powerful, even you all teamed up on it." At that answer, the space surfer sighs in disappointment.

"… Too bad." Chihaya then slumps and yawns. Seriously, how could such a carefree person be such a daredevil!? "Relaxed" and "daring" do not go together, but Chihaya proved me wrong.

"Either way, we all need to be extra careful," Dexter declares. "After all, we will never know if someone this very room would be planning to kill."

Everyone suddenly stopped talking. All eyes went to Dexter. Is he insinuating that someone would murder?

"Pardon, but what is the matter with everyone?" Dexter asks the Utopics, as he notices all the eyes directed to him. He then realizes what's going on and sighs. "Look, I know we need to trust one another, but one simply cannot dismiss the notion that one may not handle the pressure and thus, decide that their next best line of action would to be murder and leave this now accursed academy."

At the mention of the word murder, the grim atmosphere returns, even darker than ever. Everyone looks very tense-especially those who were already not feeling well to begin with.

Suddenly, the salesman heaves a displeased sigh. "Every last one of you are horribly weak. If you want to get out, you simply have to kill someone. It isn't that hard."

"Seiko," I start slowly, finally able to bring myself to speak up after being unnerved from his calmness despite the situation. "None of us is going to murder anyone."

"Really Miku? Aren't you supposed to have vast amounts of intelligence in your cranium?" Seiko asks incredulously, his eyebrows raised. "Do you _honestly_ believe that? Dexter himself said it; we shouldn't dismiss the notion, and as such we mustn't dilly-dally with friendships."

"I believe we should consider it, but at the same time I don't think any of us would murder!" I counter back with ferocity. At this point I just want the salesman to shut up. "We are classmates, and as such we wouldn't try and kill each other for personal gain!"

Seiko, being the jerk he is, just laughed off my counter argument.

"That's hilarious. Honestly, we could just consider ourselves strangers due to our limited time of getting to know one another." He then glares at me and my two childhood friends. "After all, we should actually be wary of you three. How could three friends suddenly end up as Utopics? A little too convenient, don't you think?" Great, now he's trying to destroy our reputation?

"Seiko, that was uncalled for," Kensuke retorted, jumping into my defense (And by extension, Suzumi's). "How are we suspicious? It just so happened that Utopia Academy chose the three of us. Or perhaps you are trying to say that we wouldn't be suspicious if we weren't friends in the first place?"

The salesman isn't finished yet, and he pushes aside Kensuke with considerable force. Kensuke doesn't back down however, and they glare at one other. Seiko is obviously the taller and more muscular one, but Kensuke has wrestled bears and gorillas before, so I know who would win in a physical confrontation. Let's hope it doesn't come to that, though. As much as I loathe Seiko, we really don't need him in a coma.

"You _scum_. You think you can challenge me?" Seiko hisses venomously, his pride reaching higher levels than ever. "Please, you're more suited in a _zoo_ than here in an academy with us humans." Kensuke doesn't budge from his position and continued glaring at the bastard. Feeling threatened, Seiko steps back a bit but still maintained his arrogance. After a few more seconds of staring, the salesman finally backs off for good, and he just scoffs and turns away.

"Whatever. I don't want to get murdered, so I'll be taking my leave." And with that, the jerk of an Utopic leaves the assembly hall. Even though the douchebag already left the area, the air still reeks with distrust.

This is not good.

"H-hey everyone! Come on, let's all cheer up shall we?" Zange tries his best to cheer everyone up, but it obviously fails.

"Yeah, just stop Zange," Misao says sternly, her eyes cold like ice. "In the end of the day, Seiko's right. We are total strangers, and we should discard our views of teamwork and friendship." The hacker then puts on her headphones as she leaves, but she apparently she isn't finished yet. She says just before she leaves, "I'm just being realistic here, because I'd rather be doubtful than dead."

Misao's words echo into my mind. I'd rather be doubtful than dead. Do they honestly, seriously believe that someone among us students could commit murder? I can visibly see everyone's mood darkening, courage sucked into the void, their confidence dropping to dangerous levels. Misao and Seiko's words seems to have damaged everyone's spirits-even the normally jubilant and excitable Hayato. And its all thanks to Dexter, who was the first to inform everyone about distrust.

Sometimes being too smart is bad for you.

"E-everyone… I know it's hard, but you are Utopics!" Monofairy suddenly exclaims. I'll be honest, I nearly forgot about the monochromatic pixie in front of us. She's trying to lift our spirits, but like Zange, she fails at doing so.

"H-hey… Do you all seriously believe that one of us could kill another…?" I ask the Utopics, my voice fading and my spirit shattered. None of the other Utopics dare to look at me; even Cass who was friendly to me from the start of our meeting. Her expression is queer and unreadable. I cannot even speculate on what she could possibly be thinking about-and that terrifies me.

"W-well! I have a suggestion, Utopics!" Monofairy breaks the silence. "W-why don't we all call it a day? Y-yes…?" Thankfully Monofairy is more "headmaster" like than a certain monotone demon. She is actually looking after us. The tiny girl flies near Shiro, who seems to really like the taste of her nails.

"S-shiro, are you alright? I can escort you to the infirmary…" Monofairy says with concern. Shiro nods, and the kind fairy escorts Shiro outside of the assembly hall. Everyone else follow suit, and leave the assembly in complete silence. Absolutely no one is in the mood to say anything.

Humans will always be imperfect creatures, so they judge each other to feel less imperfect than others.

My tiny legs finally give out (how they didn't give out minutes ago is a mystery, considering that I bounded like a madman earlier), and I sat on the floor, my eyes tightlined with wetness. I try my best to avoid sobbing, but I just can't help it. Before I know it, tears start falling from my eyes.

Upon seeing my distressed and pathetic appearance, my two childhood friends run towards me.

"Miku! Are you feeling unwell!?" Kensuke rushes to my aid and places his hand on my shoulder.

"No, I'm fine thank you," I reply weakly, as I try to stand up despite my legs feeling all wobbly. "I just… need some rest, is all." Kensuke nods in response.

"I know what you're thinking… About this whole 'killing' thing…" Kensuke's eyes bear into with concern, but I dismiss his worries by waving my hand.

Suzumi looks like she could cry any moment, but she still manages not to. "Miku, we're in this together, okay? Just like old times, the three of us."

Bless karma for allowing me to have my two best friends to be with me during this crisis. I don't what I would do without them, honestly.

"Just like old times." I smile and the three of us leave the assembly hall. Seriously, _bless karma._

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – BUILDING HALL 1**

Just as Monocifer said, the guard mechas don't attack us when we have our Holo-IDs with us. What a relief.

"Well we better get going to the dormitory areas," Kensuke suggests, and then I see a sign that says "To Dormitories". Very convenient.

"I would like to explore more first, but I have to admit that I'm getting pretty tired myself," Kensuke admits, his shoulders drooped in fatigue. I guess after that experience, even the animal tamer would become tired. He's normally the one with the best stamina among the three of us due to his background.

As the three of us near the entrance to the dormitory, we see Dexter and Asuka conversing. Dexter notices us and calls us.

"Miku, Kensuke and Suzumi! I have news for all of you," Dexter announces. "Miku Shishido's room and Suzumi Tomoe's room are beside each other, and are the first doors you will see upon entering the dormitory hall. And as for you Kensuke Kazama, you're beside Chihaya Soh's dorm, in the farthest part of the hall." Well, it looks like Dexter has explored the entire dormitory area already. How convenient.

"Well thanks Dexter. We'll get going then," Kensuke informs. He then escorts me and Suzumi towards the dormitory area.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – DORMITORY BUILDING**

Despite the main hall looking quite high-tech, the dormitory building looks pretty normal. It was primarily white, and all the door have holograms of the ones assigned to the room. Like my dorm, it has a hologram of me. It really is me; and it's so accurate that it almost scares me.

"Hey, Miku! I guess we should just sleep this off, huh?" Suzumi suggests, and her eyes still look concerned. I sigh and decide to reassure the teen idol.

"Don't worry. I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine now," I beam and smile at her. "Besides, just knowing your concern is already making me feel much better!" Upon hearing my words, Suzumi smiles and pats my head tenderly.

"That's great then. All right, have a good sleep then, Miku!" She then rushes to the door beside mine and enters her Holo-ID. The door slides open, and she gives one last wave before entering. From behind me, I hear Kensuke chuckling.

"Well at least Suzumi's happy now," the animal tamer says as he smiles slightly. He then faces me and pats me on the back.

"You can always count on us Miku. Don't be afraid." And then, Kensuke heads off to his room. I smile lovingly at the tamer and in an instant, I feel my sour mood lifting, if even just a bit. I enter my scan my Holo-ID and the door slides open. Finally, my dormitory room. The dorm room door automatically slides and closes.

And since Monocifer himself said that he encourages us to stay forever or something, the room is neat and nice. I initially thought it would be similar to a prison, but apparently it's a normal dorm room.

As usual, I eye the room with interest. It is primarily painted with white on the walls and ceilings, with the floor tiles being black. There is also a desk with a lamp and chair, a decent sized bed with pillows, blankets and a comforter, shelves for storing items, and air conditioning unit, and even a personal bathroom, closet, and a Holo-TV on the upper part of the room.

I cautiously approach the closet, and when I open it I see even more Utopia Academy uniforms of my size, and not a single casual attire. Not that I mind, but this will stagnate in time.

I then close it and check the personal bathroom. It's just a simple bathtub and shower set, with a faucet and sink set in there too. There's a mirror as well, which would be perfect given my overly sensitive attention to my hair. There's even a brand new toothpaste and toothbrush set, with soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. Of course, there's a toilet available to satisfy my body's waste removal.

The dorm room has a very comfortable atmosphere to it, completely different to the atmosphere outside.

A yawn escapes my mouth, and then I jump onto my bed. It has just the right amount of softness. But I can't sleep without the air conditioning on.

"Aircon on, high cool," I say tiredly, and the aircon boots up and activates. The room is immediately filled with cool air, and I grab my pillows and blanket.

Its truly weird when I delve more and more into this predicament. We are all supposed to study as Utopics, and not be trapped in some killing game. It's all strange. Here I thought Utopia Academy was paradise, but it turns out to just be a false utopia. To be exact, a dystopia.

I close my eyes and begin to drift off.

 **PROLOGUE – THE 100TH CLASS OF UTOPIA ACADEMY/END**

 **STUDENTS REMAINING: 18**

* * *

 **Finally, the prologue is over. Now that my summer class is finished, I swear to you all, I will continue this! I already have all the victims and culprits planned out, and the motives too. Now that the prologue is over, let's see what's up next in Chapter 1!**

 **Monocifer: Yes, I am pretty excited with what is coming. Please, amuse me more, author!**

… **Anyways, to the reviews of the previous chapter.**

 **Criminal Limes – That's fine, we're all busy with RL stuff. No biggie. I also love the cast; they're all so fun to write! And hey, looks like someone think you're cool, Monocifer.**

 **Monocifer: Why thank you very much, dear Limes. *bows like a gentleman* The comment is appreciated.**

 **onepeace - Yeah, don't worry buddy. I'm doing it all present tense now (hopefully). And I'm glad you like the story!**

 **Shyjoker – Hehe, yeah I made Tokiko like Monodragon… Somewhat. And she also likes Monofairy, who's introduced here. I mean hey, they're all much more pleasant than Monocifer right?**

 **Monocifer: Tokiko really hates me, and it shows in this chapter when she delivers a hypersonic punch to me. Ugh, what have I done to deserve so much hate from you? And I'm not Pussyfer!**

 **Nemris – Thanks buddy, and yes I'll try to update as scheduled. That way, more people may get invested(?). And yes, Harukaze pretty much stood up to the Salesman in such a shining way.**

 **Monocifer: So now I'm peculiar!? Hmph, I'll have you know that I am magnificent and handsome! Need proof? Check Apex's profile and see a wonderful drawing of the great me!**

 **Yeah, you can check out the link there. Drawn by my sis Witchgirlpilar. So then, see you all in Chapter 1.**

 **Apex out!**


	7. Chapter 1 Part I

**Apex here! I bet you're all wondering what the heck happened to the two week rule. Well this update is an exception, because I went to my home in the countryside, where there's no internet connection. I had so much fun the past weeks, returning to the mountains and hiking. But now I'm back, so I apologize for that. I'll be sticking back to the two week rule as per usual, unless I state otherwise. As an apology, this chapter is way longer than usual. So I hope you like this treat! And also, from this chapter on I will try to make each succeeding chapter as long as this is. Makes up for the two week wait, eh?**

 **The chapter features the winners of the previous poll as the Free Time Events, namely Chihaya and Cass. There's also another one aside from the two winners, this time picked by me. Now, let's start shall we?**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE – STRANGERS LOST IN PARADISE**

 **?**

 _A black void fills the entirety of the universe. Not a single star can be seen in the empty, endless blackness. I touch my throat, and wonder how I could breathe._

 _I am lost in this eternal darkness. I cry out, yet none reach out to me. My breathing becomes heavy, and wonder if I have been killed. Is this the afterlife? Have I transcended to a higher plane of existence?_

 _"It's all your fault…"_

 _A haunting voice reaches my ears, and it seems to come from everywhere, but from nowhere all at the same time. I glance around, trying to find the source of the sound. Only cold darkness awaits my eyes._

 _"You destroyed everything… You are to blame…" The haunting voice continues to accuse me of something I have no idea about. Even though I face nothingness, I speak out._

 _"What are you talking about?" I inquire, confusion wrapping around me as I continue to float ceaselessly around the blank space._

 _"You had a choice. You could have saved them all," The mysterious voice continues. "From the infinite paths you could have walked, you chose that path… Why!?"_

 _"I-I don't understand!" I cry out, my fear rising. I clutch my head, trying to drown out the voice. "I really don't know what you are talking about…"_

 _Suddenly, a mist of black energy swirled in front of me. It took a form of a shadowy humanoid. It reached out with its enormous hands and grabbed me by the throat. I gasp, and struggle in fear._

 _"The endless cries of death. I can still hear them," The shadowy monster states, its grip tightening every second. "All because of one path that resulted in the end of all paths."_

 _I try to scream, but my throat is too sore. I kick and punch, but I end up hitting air. The black mist is intangible; and I cannot lay a fingeron it. Its grip tightens even more. I continue to lose oxygen._

 _"There's nothing left. No afterlife, no Heaven, no Hell. Not even space and time exists anymore. Nothingness reigns… and it's all your fault."_

 _Its monstrous hands continue to choke the life out of me, until…_

 _The entire cosmos shatters into countless fragments, and a bright light envelops me. But then, I see it._

 _A giant, golden spear. It ripped through the black mist, disintegrating the darkness instantly._

 _"H-hey, what's going on?" I choke out, my throat on the verge of being ripped apart from the inside._

 _Then, a giant blast erupts from the horizon. It envelops everything, and the shock wave eventually reaches me. Intense pain floods my nerves, as the explosion burns away my skin._

 _And then all comes to black again._

* * *

 **DORMITORY BUILDING – MIKU'S DORM**

 **DING DONG DING DONG**

The sound of a bell ringing rouses me awake from my slumber. I frantically scan the area, and my breathing becomes heavy. I inspect my entire body, and feel my throat.

It's as if nothing happened…

But before I could continue to ponder on my current predicament, the holographic television screen boots up, and on it is none other than our ungodly headmaster himself, Monocifer.

"Good morning, my dear students! It's seven in the morning, so it's time to rise and shine!" The monochrome entity announces through the Holo-TV with his usual enthusiasm. So being trapped in Utopia Academy _wasn't_ a dream, then…

But what was that nightmare? It felt so… _real._ I didn't want to ever feel that way ever again. It was like torture, and I thought I died. When that shadowy creature tried to choke the life out of me, I actually felt like my energy was slowly being drained away…

As a yawn escapes my mouth, I catch a whiff of my breath. _Ugh._ I need to gargle some water before I eat. I stand up, fix my bed and enter my shower room.

My turquoise locks are now a disheveled mess, my iconic hair buns have sunk into the rest of my head. My face just looks messy, bangs plastered to my forehead. Nothing a little shower can't fix.

So as soon as I strip my clothing off, I place them on a nearby laundry bag and I turn the shower on. The sound of water pattering against the marble floor surrounds me, as I wash in silence. I don't even feel like singing while showering this time around. Maybe it's because of that strange and vivid nightmare I just had.

Just what was that? It was obviously something very outlandish. It may be just a random nightmare, but I can't help but feel scared every time I try to visualize it.

Deciding not to think about it anymore, I proceed to complete my morning routine. After a quick shower, I comb my hair and form my signature hair buns. I then gargled some water, and went to my closet, dressing up in my regular Utopia Academy uniform, and comb my hair a second time. Satisfied, I smile and take out my Holo-ID.

But… I freeze up right before my door. The only thing that lies beyond is a killing game… Fear suddenly grips me, and my anxiety rises. I mean, why would I leave my personal haven if there's only death waiting for me on the other side of this very door?

I immediately shake my head in an attempt to erase those grim thoughts. I have to believe in my classmates. I absolutely refuse to acknowledge that any of the Utopics have the capacity to kill. Surely even the absolute bastard that is Seiko Tarumi isn't that wicked, right?

Suddenly, my room's doorbell rings, and I yelp in surprise. Who could it be?

I look through the door scanner, and see my golden-haired childhood friend. She seems chirpy and energetic as usual. I decide to open the door. It slides open flawlessly, and Suzumi looks at me with delight.

"Miku!" The teen idol beams, hugging me and lifting me from the ground. She begins to spin around, causing me become slightly dizzy. She then puts me down, and her smile becomes even wider than before.

"Good morning! Let's go and eat some breakfast in the cafeteria!" Suzumi is still so cheery, even after all of the horrifying events that have transpired yesterday. I think she noticed how gloomy I look, since she is now sporting a small frown on her face. "Miku…? Are you feeling alright?" The teen idol starts to eye me with worry evident on her face, her tone softening.

No, I'm _not_ fine because I just had a hellish nightmare-was what I wanted to say. Instead, I say a different excuse; however this excuse is a half-truth.

"Nothing. I just didn't get adequate sleep." Suzumi crosses her arms across her chest and raises her eyebrows questioningly at me.

"Are you sure? We should share our worries again, just like old times," She says, her expression mixed with worry and suspicion. Classic Suzumi, I can always count on her to see through me like a plate of transparent glass. I sigh in defeat.

"Yeah, actually there _is_ a problem," I admit, looking away from my friend while clutching my left shoulder with my right hand. Suzumi then places her hand on my free shoulder, and my eyes veer towards the idol.

"Then let's talk about it, okay?" Suzumi replies, and then she points to her right. "But first, we have to meet up with everyone else in the cafeteria. Zange says we should meet up every morning in the cafeteria." Zange, huh? So he's still pushing for everyone to get along, I see. I nod, and then Suzumi goes back to her trademark smile.

"Alrighty then!" She then grabs ahold of my wrist. "GERONIMO!" In a burst of speed, the hyperactive teen idol drags me as I struggle to keep with her pace, which was comparable to that of a sprinter's. Does idol training turn people into Velociraptors or something?

"W-wait!" Was all I could mutter before Suzumi's speed causes me to close my mouth. I then smile inwardly. Same old Suzumi indeed.

* * *

 **DORMITORY BUILDING – LUXURY CAFETERIA**

Remember what I said about most things in Utopia Academy being absolutely colossal and grand for no apparent reason other than using up excess cash? Well, the same logic applies to our cafeteria, and it is close to absurd. Just a few seconds of scanning the area already makes it obvious that this cafeteria makes even the most luxury of restaurants look like regular food stalls. Heck, this entire area is bigger than even the assembly hall back in the main building!

Predominantly white and black, the entire cafeteria had numerous photon chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. All the chairs and table look like they could fit at least 1000 students at once. The chairs and tables were all made of light-weight photons, which is basically light converted into solid material; making them the lightest and sturdiest materials humanity has ever seen.

Despite the vastness of the cafeteria, it was almost desolate save a few unlucky Utopics who ended up being trapped in a killing game. As I continue to take in the sight of such a luxurious cafeteria, Suzumi taps my shoulder, effectively snapping me out of my self-imposed trance.

"Moon to Miku?" I instantly whip around to face her. She then grins again, this time sporting a gentle one rather than her usual giant one.

"It's amazing, huh? Even the cafeteria is huuuuge!" Suzumi exclaims, and then grabs ahold of my wrist again. "Come on, Zange and the others are all gathered up over there!" I nod in response, and this time Suzumi walks at a pace I can keep up with. As soon as the two of us reach the rest of the Utopics, the political activist walks up towards Suzumi and I.

"Oh, perfect~" Zange chirps flirtatiously, his flamboyant side still active and roaring. "Thank you so much for coming here, hun! You as well, hun!"

"You're welcome, Zange. After all, now is a time where we should be trusting each other more than ever," Suzumi reasons, and she glances from Utopic to Utopic.

"Not everyone is here, though…" Zange notes sorrowfully, his earlier cheerfulness replaced with disappointment and sadness. I guess since he's the one pushing everyone to get along, he's getting a huge blow from his repeated failures in getting everyone together.

In fact, there only a few Utopics with us right now. So far, the only ones gathered up in the cafeteria aside from us three are Asuka, Harukaze and surprisingly Dexter as well. And to think that the genius was the one who suggested that we should be all alert...

And wait, Kensuke is not here yet?

"Suzumi, where's Kensuke?" I inquire worriedly, as I hoped the animal tamer would at least be joining us.

"Oh don't worry, I asked him to round up the others," Suzumi informs while clasping her hands in joy. "He should be here any minute now." Oh, that's good. Kensuke should be able to convince everyone to join him, after all who would try to argue with the cool and mature animal tamer? Oh wait, Seiko would.

I then pick an empty seat just across Zange, and Suzumi sits on the seat beside mine. Noticing how silent everyone is, I decide to strike up a conversation.

"So… I hope everyone had an okay sleep?" I mumble lamely, as I mentally slap myself for my deficiency of social skills. Thankfully, Harukaze seems to understand what my question is all about.

"While I do admit I was scared last night, I was able to sleep soundly," Harukaze muses, and she begins clasping her hands together as if in prayer. "Before I slept, I decided to pray to the divine spirits so that may grant me a peaceful rest." As expected from a spirit medium, she prays to her "spirits", or so she says. Well, at least her meditation grants her peace of mind.

"I'm used to sleeping in short intervals," Asuka says, her arms crossed around her chest. "In the battlefield, you need to be ready at all times. So even if it means I have to wake up at 2 in the morning, I must or else I could be ambushed and possibly be taken out by the enemy." Asuka is… really not like us, isn't she? She must have seen a lot of battles on her war mecha. Seeing things that I can't even begin to fathom. It's no wonder why she's so level headed, even in a crisis like this.

"Yes, Asuka Minami is indeed correct," Dexter adds, as he adjusts his glasses. "After all, mecha pilots face just as many risks as mecha controllers." Mecha controllers? Can't say I have heard of them…

"Hey Dexter? What's a mecha controller?" Suzumi joins in on our conversation as she asks the prodigy about whatever he just said. Dexter flashes a cheeky grin.

"Ah yes, I would love to impart some of my knowledge of mechas to everyone!" Dexter beams, which is totally rare. But considering that he's a huge fan of all things mecha, I can't say that I'm too surprised.

"You see, a mecha controller is someone who controls a mecha from a distance, sometimes within the battlefield or within a command room of some sorts," Dexter lectures, his mood growing even more pleasant by each second. At this point, everyone, even Zange, is all ears. After all, once the intellectual prodigy gets going, he really gets rolling fast.

"There are two kinds of mechas; the pilot frames and the controller frames. Each have their own advantages and disadvantages. First and foremost, hackers and programmers cannot hack or reprogram a pilot frame's actions. You see, unlike a controller frame, a pilot frame is moved via an action scanner. The pilot frame copies the pilot's movements, and obviously a hacker cannot hack a human." Dexter pauses for a while and glances at us, most likely to see if we are all still interested. I know not of the others, but I am definitely engaged with this topic. So I urge Dexter to continue by muttering a quiet "go on".

"On the other side of the spectrum, there are also the controller frames. These are mechas that are controlled via tachyon wave remotes, which are remote waves that move faster than the speed of light. Controller frames don't need to be ridden by pilot, as they are simply puppets to a mecha controller. Of course the advantage of this model is that there would be no potential casualty, but hackers and programmer can easily target these type of mechas." Truly amazing, it seems that Dexter isn't just a fanboy of all things mecha; he's also really well-informed about them. Even Asuka looks surprised.

"Sir Dexter, I am surprised you know so much about mechas," The pilot admits. "Then again, you are the Utopic Intellectual Prodigy. Someone of your intellect can easily become Chief Mecha Tactician." Upon hearing this, Dexter's eyes sparkles in delight.

"R-really? That is truly amazing!" The intellectual prodigy beams and dances around in joy, causing us to giggle at his antics.

"Hoho! I see that slowly, we're all actually bonding!" Zange exclaims in an ecstatic manner. "Now this is what we should strive for~" The political activist is right about that. If only everyone else got along this well…

Suddenly, a girlish voice cuts into the cafeteria.

"Hey, looks like you guys are having fun! Mind if we joined in?"

The voice came from Masumi, who was with the hacker. While Masumi seemed cheerful and awake, Misao looks even more bored and uninterested than ever. I guess she either isn't a morning person, or she just looks like that all the time.

"Masumi, Misao, please do join us!" Harukaze invites, to which the two oblige. Masumi went to a free seat beside Harukaze while Misao went near Dexter.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Masumi asks. Dexter looks at the astronomer and smiles brightly.

"Oh, we were just talking about mechas, Masumi Hoshikawa! Care to impart some knowledge on the subject?"

"Oh, sure! I may not be an expert on the subject, but I at least know a lot about it!" She replies, smirking slightly at the prodigy. "Care to have a faceoff of knowledge?"

Dexter looks shocked (probably because someone would dare challenge him in a contest of wits), but regains his composure and flashes a confident grin at the astronomer. Oh boy, I can tell this is going to take a while. Though I already know Dexter would win, it's still nice to know someone has the guts, no, the brains to challenge the Utopic Intellectual Prodigy to a battle of wits.

After five minutes of non-stop facts throwing and debates, Dexter finally bested the astronomer in the field of mechas. Despite losing, Masumi seems to have taken it quite well. I mean, just matching the prodigy for five straight minutes is already commendable. I would have lasted only a minute or so! If the topic were to be about genetics though, I might win.

"That was truly a marvelous time we had, Masumi Hoshikawa! Perhaps next time we should discuss your field of expertise!" Dexter exclaims. Uh, no. Dexter may be the all-around smartest guy around, but I doubt he could defeat Masumi in a duel about her specialty.

"Hah! I'll be sure to take up on your challenge, Saturn!" The astronomer proudly declares, giving the prodigy a new nickname. I don't have sufficient evidence yet, but I believe she gives nicknames only to those she enjoys the company of. I glance at Dexter, and he doesn't seem to mind the new nickname.

Before long, the others came along as well. Kensuke seems to have succeeded in his little mission; he was even able to bring Seiko along. The animal tamer snags a seat between Suzumi and I while flashing both of us a smile and a greeting.

Monofairy was actually the one cooking for all of us. Coming out from the kitchen, she delivered our food to our table by making them float. Since magic doesn't exist, she might be using zero gravity plates. But after all the crazy things that has happened here in Utopia Academy, I'm inclined to believe even in crazy things like magic.

With my plate directly before me, I decide to start eating. I pick up my fork and taste the muffin. It tastes great, fresh and flavorful. You know, maybe Monofairy really is a good person... er, pixie, after all.

"Damn, you know how the make great dishes, little fairy chick!" Norio remarks between bites. Beside him is Misao, who looks quite annoyed.

"Hey, don't eat while talking!" Misao snaps at Norio, but unfortunately the hacker's words fall on ignorant ears. Misao realizes that it's useless and begrudgingly ignores the virtual gladiator as she rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"I must say, this is seriously a feast fit for monarchs!" Hayato admits, his plate already cleared out of food. Just how fast does he eat?

"Thanks, everyone! I'm glad you enjoy my cooking," Monofairy says with a big smile plastered on her face. You know, when we're all like this, it's like we're all in one big field trip. Monofairy manages to make the atmosphere homely, and it is very pleasant. And for once, no one tries to drag the mood down, not even a certain salesman.

As I continue to eat my breakfast, the remainder of the meal consisted of casual talks between several small groups. Zange, Hayato, Asuka, Masumi, and Dexter are all discussing about more science and mecha stuff. Meanwhile, Shintaro, Harukaze and the two jittery Utopics known as Yuki and Shiro are enjoying each other's company.

On the other side of the table, Norio, Chihaya, Tokiko and Cass are all chatting as well while a bored Misao listens to their conversation. I think they're talking about… Monodragon? I hope that Chihaya isn't serious about fighting that thing… I even hear Cass exclaim, "No way man!" towards the space surfer.

Seiko is near Zange's group but he doesn't seem to be as engaged as the rest of the group are. He just stares from Utopic to Utopic, as if analyzing them. His eyes and mine lock, his mouth curling into a smile, as angelic as usual. I puff up my cheeks and look away from him. The brief nonverbal exchange between the salesman and I doesn't go unnoticed, for Kensuke nudges me on my shoulder.

"Hey, is he harassing you again?" The animal tamer inquires softly, his tone stern once more.

"Just ignore him. I really can't tell what he's thinking," I answer lightly, making sure Seiko doesn't hear me.

Eventually everyone finished their breakfast. Before we are about to stand up and leave the cafeteria, Zange leaps up first, calling all attention to him.

"My classmates, please hear me out! Since we're all stuck in this school, we need to familiarize ourselves with the environment. As such, I propose exploring the vicinity. That is the reason why I had everyone gather here for morning~"

"Yeah, Zange's got a point folks," Cass chimes in, agreeing with the political activist. "Sides, we might even find an escape route or somethin'!" While I do agree with Zange, I still don't think we can find an escape route that easily.

"Yeah it's worth a shot, I guess," Norio agrees, looking a lot more energetic now that he has eaten. "More explorin', more chances of escape."

"That is a logical course of action indeed!" Dexter announces, voicing out his approval to the Zange's suggestion. "Everyone, I believe it would behoove us to listen to Zange Ichijou!" With Dexter speaking with such confidence, almost everyone is inclined to follow his words.

The key word being " _almost_ ".

"But aren't you the one who suggested that we be wary of each other?" The wicked salesman hisses, his snake-like tongue once more. "How come you are agreeing with exploring the academy when you might be stabbed in the back?"

"True, I did say that, Seiko Tarumi. But that doesn't mean anyone will actually do so, right?" Dexter counters irately, rather annoyed at the prospect that Seiko is targeting him now. He then stood up and adjusts his glasses. "Besides, I said we should be wary, and I never suggested that we start pointing fingers at each other! Know your place, you unintelligible prick!"

Ooh, Dexter knows his insults well. But seriously, Seiko should know his place. This is the "intellectual prodigy" we're talking about. He has years' worth of college degrees in his brain.

"Oh? Resorting to ad hominem now, _are we_?" Seiko taunts, standing up as well. He then smirks with a smugness level of over nine thousand. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the 'Utopic Intellectual Prodigy'! Yet you resort to such nonintellectual fallacies?"

"You DARE question my intellect!?" Dexter thunders, stressing the word ' _dare_ ' with frightening loudness. It seems Dexter hates it when his intelligence is being questioned. "Normally, I would ask of those who question my intellect to go ahead and try to disprove my intellect, but for one such as you that is not needed! I am Dexter Miles, and my intellect is far beyond the comprehension and understanding of an arrogant douchebag such as yourself!" At this sudden breakout of a fight, Monofairy tries to calm the two down. She flies over to them.

"P-please stop at once, you two!" She orders, but really it comes off more as a plea. "You're putting everyone else on edge!" Dexter seemed willing to back off, but Seiko doesn't. Zange, who was still standing up, opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted as the cafeteria table shakes. It appears that Kensuke smacked the table with his two fists.

"Seriously, Seiko? Are we going through this again?" Kensuke suddenly stands up, his temper rising steadily. "If you don't want to help us out and cooperate, then get lost." Knowing Seiko, he's probably going to challenge him again. Any more, and I think we might need to restrain Kensuke. While he rarely gets enraged, that doesn't mean his anger is mellow or weak.

To everyone's surprise however, the salesman withdraws. "Alright, fine. Just stating the facts. I'll cooperate with you." Seiko then stopped talking. Well, that was new. He finally decided to give in. But then again, I thought I saw his mouth curl into the faintest of smiles…

Must be my imagination though. He's clearly upset, thanks to none other than Kensuke! Everyone in the room breathes a sigh of relief as order returns to the group.

Zange clears his throat, and everyone's attention goes back to the political activist once more. "Alright, all! Let's split up and explore the school! We will all gather here in the cafeteria again afterwards~"

"That's all, dismissed!"

At that, everyone else heads out to search the academy. I instinctively approach Suzumi, the person who I am most comfortable with. She's conversing with Kensuke about something, but they stop as soon as they see me.

"So, shall we all head off to explore?" Suzumi inquires me brightly, seemingly excited about the idea of going about this once amazing educational institution. However, Utopia Academy is nothing but a lifetime prison for all of us now. Oh, how the mighty hath fallen.

"Sure. Let's get going then-" Kensuke starts, but is promptly interrupted by the teen idol.

"Um, Kensuke?" Suzumi cuts in as politely as possible (not that cutting in when someone else is talking can be considered polite, but it's Suzumi we're talking about). "Miku and I would like to do some 'girl talk'." Kensuke nods in understanding.

"Alright. Let's meet up back in the cafeteria again," The animal tamer then leaves quietly, leaving just me and my female childhood friend. I guess this is about my nightmare, huh?

"So, let's go to the changing room just north from here. Not much people would bother exploring that place after all," Suzumi reasons. And so, we leave the cafeteria.

* * *

 **DORMITORY BUILDING – CHANGING ROOM**

As Suzumi and I enter the changing room, we sit on one of the benches by the changing machines. Each of the Auto-Changers had our names on it; though the excess ones didn't have any on them. The changing room was fairly normal, with each Auto-Changer having a set of buttons to choose which type of clothes to wear. Of course, there is also a door leading to the public bath. The only abnormal thing about the room is its size. It's a tad too big for a changing room.

I will be honest, I was never really a fan of those automatic dresser machines. I mean, can't people just manually remove their clothes? I know it's for convenience, but that is always the same excuse I hear when seeing new "inventions". I hope Hayato makes more "non-lazy" machines.

But then, I suddenly remember my dream. A storm of thoughts flood my mind.

"What was the dream all about?" I thought to myself. I know dreams are supposed to be random, but this one in particular is very cryptic. It's almost as though someone is trying to tell me something. If only we had a Utopic Dream Interpreter or something.

First, there was an eerie sense of nothingness. And then there's that giant golden spear. It seemed to have importance in that dream of mine. It was, after all, able to pierce through space-time. It even shattered it. Is there some kind of symbolism here?

My train of thought was interrupted as warm hand rests on my shoulder, snapping my back to reality.

"You really are prone to spacing out! Just like Chihaya!" Suzumi beams. I narrow my eyes towards her, and try to give her the most unamused expression I could muster.

"How could you possibly compare me to that chilled-out daredevil? We're leagues apart!" The teen idol then giggles like a little girl at my reaction.

"But I think he's your type. Riiight?"

 _What!?_ Seriously, she thinks I like Chihaya? How dense can a person be towards their friend? However, I must say that the athlete IS rather… handsome, so to speak. But my heart is already stolen by a wondrous animal tamer.

"No way," I reply flatly. "Sure, he may be kind of handsome, but that doesn't mean I have a crush on him." However, my ever jolly friend decides to push into a different topic.

"Yeah, you're right," Suzumi says. She then gives me a peculiar look that says 'but I know what you're hiding'. I hold my breath, and prepare for whatever she's going to say. I can't actually predict what will leave her mouth until she actually went for it.

"You actually like Kensuke more, right?"

Honestly, I'm not surprised that she would eventually figure it out. But at the same time, I'm somewhat shocked, given that she's so dense. It took her five years just to realize that I have a crush on Kensuke. Whether or not that's impressive is up for debate.

"What took you so long to realize it?" I ask in the flattest tone possible. "I have started crushing on him since we were 10 years old." Suzumi chooses to ignore my question, and instead starts singing.

"Miku and Kensuke, sitting on the Moon! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Miku with a baby carriage!" Suzumi sings aloud. I immediately cup her mouth with my hands.

"B-be quiet!" I command sharply. I then put away my hands from Suzumi and sigh in relief. "You're lucky we're alone in here. What do you think would happen if everyone else found out about it?" Suzumi then playfully knocks her head with her knuckles, which is her signature "silly me!" pose.

"Hehe, sorry sorry! I just wanted to say that ever since we were kids." Wait, what? Did I just hear that correctly?

"Wait, you said you have always wanted to say that ever since we were kids?" I repeat. Suzumi nods swiftly, humming cheerfully.

"Uh huh! Did you REALLY think I was that dense?" Yes was what I actually wanted to say. However, I am just too surprised at this piece of information and prompt to ask her another question instead.

"Then why did you never tell me about it?" Suzumi then gives me a sheepish looking smile at looks away from me, swinging her legs up and down.

"Well of course I wouldn't tell you! You never bothered talking about it," The idol admits. She flashes me another smile as she continues. "Besides, I wanted to respect your privacy, so I just cheered you on from the sidelines." I have to give Suzumi credit. She's far more perceptive than I thought.

"Also, what kind of bestie would I be if I didn't even know your own crush?"

My best friend continues to impress me even more with her surprising amounts of perceptiveness. But there's still one more question that has yet to be addressed.

"If you know about my crush, and you claim to be supporting me from the shadows, then how come you're always…" I trail off, uncertain of how to end my question.

"Always?" Suzumi repeats, eager to hear my question.

"Why are always s-so… you know, lovey-dovey towards him?" I finally manage to complete my ridiculous question. Surprisingly, Suzumi flares up in embarrassment. Definitely not the reaction I was expecting; I was actually thinking of a more casual response. Does that mean…?

"W-what!? N-no! It's not like that!" Suzumi flails around frantically, her arms swinging wide and with lots of emotion. "Do we look like that?" There we go again, the teen idol's denseness returns.

"Yes, you two look like a couple. With all the affectionate hugs and hand holding… Definitely a couple," I say bluntly. Suzumi then frowns slightly.

"But that's how I act towards all my friends… Aren't I always like that to you as well?" When Suzumi puts it like that, it makes me feel guilty for asking that question.

"No, it's fine if you act that way. I mean, aren't you always like that?" I reassure her. "That's only what other people may think. And I just wanted to know… Just in case you actually also like him or something…" An audible 'oh' escapes my friend's lips, and she giggles softly.

"Don't worry Miku! I won't butt in to your love life! I also promise to keep it a secret!" A warm feeling emerges from my heart. This must be… happiness. I feel like I know a lot more about Suzumi now. Weird, huh? This silent moment makes me feel like we're just two best friends chatting after a hectic school day. Honestly, just hanging out with Suzumi makes me forget we're in a killing game hosted by a mad angel-demon hybrid.

"Now I bet that bad feeling you had back when you woke up is gone now, right?"

Huh? Now that she mentioned it, weren't we supposed to talk about that cryptic dream of mine? It has slipped my mind already.

"Yeah, it's like I totally forgot about it. Sorry Suzumi," I apologize to my friend, but she just waves her hand in response.

"No, it's fine!" Suzumi exclaims. "That was my plan all along, to make you forget about that bad dream of yours. I noticed how restless you were right when you opened that door, so I decided to make you feel better by chatting away our worries." Again, perceptive Suzumi strikes back. How did she know I was already feeling bad when one can easily mistake my mood earlier as just sleepy? I mean, I had large eye bags too.

"Wow, that's very perceptive of you," I complement Suzumi with utmost sincerity. "Who are you, my mother?"

Suzumi and I both ended up laughing at my comment. Moments like these are ones that I would love for to last forever. Suddenly, Suzumi's face becomes solemn, as if in deep thought.

"You know, I always do that," She starts, her voice soft and mellow.

"Always do what?" I ask.

"You know, trying to forget about negative thoughts," Suzumi continues, as she looks up at the ceiling. "As an idol, I'm expected to have a smile on my face all the time. So I just forget about all my negative thoughts. I know many people think my talent is useless. I mean, how much does an idol contribute to society compared to say, Asuka, who is a mecha pilot? She rides war machines and risks her life to defend our planet, while I just sing and dance for bored people. I'm pretty sure that I'm an insult to everything she stands for." Why did she mention Asuka, of all people? While I admit that the mecha pilot seems kind of distant towards Suzumi, isn't she always like that to everyone else as well?

"Suzumi, don't say it like that…" I try and comfort my friend. She shrugs.

"You help make advancements in biology, Kensuke helps out in various animal rescue missions, and don't get me started on Zange!" Suzumi suddenly yells. Her eyes are shimmering with wetness, as a single tear falls down her cheek. "He literally helps in shaping our country, being a political icon and all. Say what you may on politics, but you have to admit that it is a need for our country."

I stare at Suzumi with shock. She seems to have so much sadness tucked inside her. I place my hand on my chest and curled it into a fist. I open my mouth to speak, but I end up saying nothing. I'm trying to think of something to say, something to alleviate her worries. As her friend, I can't believe I didn't know about this… So I better cheer her up.

"Suzumi, don't compare yourself to them," I gently reassure the teen idol, finally finding the right words to say. "You also provide something for your fans. You give them hope, and smiles. We can't just always rely on the practical things, like protection or politics. We also need happiness." Suzumi slowly wipes her tears.

"That may be true, but what I provide is only a want. Not a need."

Silence falls upon the two of us. I really want to cheer up Suzumi, just as she always cheers me up. So, I decide to do the one thing she always does to me; I hug her tightly. Suzumi is obviously surprised at my action, but she hugs back anyway.

After a few seconds, I let go. She's now smiling brightly, and is back to her usual self.

"Thanks, Miku. This why I said I just try to forget my negative thoughts, but it just burst out now," Suzumi says sheepishly. She then stands up and stretches her arms. "Weeelll! I guess it's time to explore this place even more. I'll head out to the laundry room, you coming?"

"Nah, it's okay. I want to explore more of the main building," I answer softly. "Let's meet up in the cafeteria again, with everyone else." Suzumi flashes one last smile, and leaves.

"Later then! Oh, and… thanks again." I beam back at her, and then she leaves, as bubbly and bouncy as ever. That moment I just had with Suzumi left a pretty warm feeling in my heart. I guess this place really affects everyone, no matter how peppy or cheerful one is.

I just wish we could all leave this place in one piece.

 **(HOLO-ID UPDATE – SUZUMI TOMOE)**

 **(Suzumi Tomoe is actually much more analytic and perceptive than one would originally think, and she tends to act like a peppy mother-figure. Additionally, she can be surprisingly melancholic and depreciative, especially in regards to how she sees her own talent…)**

After walking for a bit, I eventually reach the main building again. I open my Holo-ID and open the 'Map' function to check the map again and see my exact location. It seems that I am located in between the school store and the infirmary. I put Holo-ID back in my pocket and head towards the school store.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – SCHOOL STORE**

As soon as I enter, there one thing I want to note.

It's full of toys and other novelty stuff! There was a gatchapon, a bunch of dolls, t-shirts, keychains and many more. The room was kind of small, but spacious enough for several people to enter.

But then, it appears that I'm not the only person in the room. Chihaya Soh, the Utopic Space Surfer, was trying out some sort of crane game. Upon closer inspection, it seems that he is trying to get a Monofairy stuffed toy. Figures.

 **SORRY! YOU LOSE!**

"Darn! That was the last Monocoin I found!" Chihaya growls in frustration. He smacks the game machine, causing it to wobble slightly. "… And I almost had it…" He then turns near instantly, and he doesn't even notice me as he bumps into me.

He's really on his own universe, isn't he?

"Ow…" I mutter as I clutch my head in an attempt to lessen the pain. "Chihaya, look where you're going next time…" He glances down at me, yet doesn't offer me a hand. How _rude!_ I stand up on my own and dust my clothes off. The space surfer is at least courteous enough to give an apology, muttering a casual "Sorry," as he scratches his head sheepishly.

But then the unexpected happened. Chihaya leans close to my face ( _too_ close!) and eyes me curiously. My cheeks become furiously scarlet. He smells so _nice…_

"… Short," Chihaya mutters, his breath tickling my face. Even his breath smells good… Didn't we just eat a while ago? "You're the shortest among all the Utopics… And you're pretty cute, now that I realized." He then plays around with my hair buns, poking them and messing around with them.

"… Silky. Must be hair conditioner," Chihaya mumbles nonchalantly as he continues to toy with my hair buns.

That was the last straw. I flare up uncontrollably and begin jumbling random sentences as I robotically stagger backwards. However, I instantly regret doing so since I bump into a tall cabinet which is filled with toys on top of it. They rain down on my head. Not much damage is done to my cranium, but boy, does my head ache.

To my surprise, Chihaya immediately races towards me, presumably to aid me. However, that never happens as he instead opts to scan the fallen toys. He then picks up something and smiles at this new item. He eagerly unboxes the toy and begins to fiddle with its various components.

It seems to be a small plastic action figure (Specifically around the 1/12 scale size) of the famous anime character "Madoka-tan" from the equally popular anime series "The Absolutely Straight Adventures of Madoka-tan". It's a really well made figurine, with its colors painted crisp and smooth despite the size of the figure. Their attention to detail is amazing as well since all the intricate little things seem perfectly sculpted. It's as if a Utopic Sculptor made it.

Chihaya poses the figure a bit. Despite Madoka-tan having a ton of sculpted clothing, he manages to make the toy do a pretty dynamic pose, one where her legs are stretched, as if she is jumping and kicking at the same time. Surprisingly, the figure has excellent articulation despite her rather frilly magical girl outfit. The space surfer's mild smile grows wider as he promptly faces me.

"Thanks for this," Chihaya says. Did he think I bumped into that cabinet just to give him a cute plastic figurine? Well that's certainly not the case, but I don't bother to correct him as he's happy about it (And also he found something else to focus on, instead of playing around with me). He then picks up the toy's box and shows me its contents.

It seems that the action figure has multiple accessories, such as Madoka-tan's "Cosmic Sword" and "Aether Shield". There's even three extra face plates for the figure included with the default confident smirk; a shouting battle-ready face, an 'in-love' face and a happy face with her mouth wide open. It's really well painted, most especially the 'in-love' face. It's just like when she first started dating Cutie Boy from the anime series.

"I love this show," I say happily, eyeing the box with great curiosity. "I really like how they parody and at the same time respect the usual magical girl spiel where all the girls 'love' each other and generate tons of friendship and yuri subtext. It even parodies other elements, like the transformation sequences actually being interrupted for once." Chihaya nods and looks at all the accessories in the box.

"Yeah, I also like how all the enemies are actually all vying for Madoka-tan's affection. Uh… Who was the main villain again?"

"Don't you remember? It's 'Homora-tan', the black haired time witch who is a complete love maniac. She even tried to kill Madoka-tan's main love interest, 'Cutie Boy'," I answer back. Chihaya then mutters a soft 'ah' and nods again.

"Ya know, I didn't think you were this generous," the athlete admits, as he puts back his new toy into its box. "I just pegged you as just another annoying fangirl, judging from when we first bumped into each other…" Oh, I remember now! The part where I accidentally raised my voice during our introductions… I wonder why he avoids his legions of fan girls? I decide to ask this question upfront.

"Hey, uh Chihaya?" The space surfer turns around to face me. He cocks his head in confusion. "Why do you not like your fans?" At that, Chihaya slightly frowns. He places his box on top of the gatchapon machine.

"It's not that, really…" Chihaya answers awkwardly as he scratches the back of his head. "Their support is totally rad, but I like peace and quiet, ya know?" I nod in understanding.

"So you just don't like how noisy they are, correct?" I inquire, this time making sure my voice isn't too loud. Chihaya nods lazily at my answer.

"… Also, my manager told me that 'fans and paparazzi are the enemy'." Wait, what? His manager told him that? How hostile can one person be? "I wouldn't worry bout' you, though."

"Hmm? Why not?" I ask, my curiosity peaking once more.

"Cuz' you're cool. I guess I can give you a chance to know more about me, if you want." Chihaya slings his arms across his nape in a very carefree manner. "… Not many fangirls get to know much about me since I avoid interviews. Buuuut… I can make an exception for you, since you're kind enough to give me a Madoka-tan action figure." He gives me a small smile, which is something he doesn't do often. So he isn't worried about me being the "enemy" because I happened to give him something cute. His weakness is definitely adorable things.

"… Ask away."

So Chihaya is willingly giving me time to ask about him, hmm? Well I do admire his stunts in TV, so I might as well ask some things. Besides, socializing with the other Utopics is a quadrillion times better than murdering them. I begin to formulate various question in my head. Something that won't bore him…

"Uh, so what made you start space surfing? Didn't you think that it could be dangerous?" Chihaya's eyes light up. As if on cue, he fishes a cube out of his pocket. Tossing it into the air, Chihaya catches the cube as it materializes into the same space board I saw when he first introduced himself.

"Nice reflexes," I complement the space surfer, in which he cracks a small appreciative grin.

"… This is my first and only space board. The same baby I use to sail through asteroid belts and stars," Chihaya explains with pride, his face practically glowing. "I first started when my parents trapped me a boring-ass boarding school."

"Your parents _trapped_ you? Are you serious!?" I then immediately cover my mouth and mutter a soft 'sorry'. Thankfully, he doesn't look too annoyed, and he waves his free hand, dismissing my worries.

"… As I was sayin'… By 'trapped', I mean forced. Ya see, I'm actually… the son of Mr. Soh, the president of the Soh Corporation. He doesn't exactly want me to go to a regular school, since ya know, he wants me to succeed him…" No wonder why his last name sounds familiar!

"You mean the same company that makes all the latest gadgets?" Chihaya nods before continuing his story.

"… Anyways, that boarding school was boring. Good thing I met this dude who showed me everything space surfing related... We were best friends, and we led our local team to the nationals. Hell, we even smashed up the international championships. Good times." He didn't specify a large gap in time, so does that mean he became a world champion space surfer in less than a decade!? Wow, he is truly worthy of being the Utopic Space Surfer. He probably has innate talent.

There's still another question that needs to be addressed, however.

"Did your father- I mean did President Soh endorse you then? I'm pretty sure the Soh Corporation makes space boards too." Chihaya then frowns, his mood visibly dropping just at the mention of his dad.

"Nah, my old man hated my guts… and my decision. But who the hell cares about what he thinks," Chihaya retorts, his voice slowly rising. "That geezer only ever cared about keeping his company intact. So I left home and got me a sweet apartment."

"WHAT!?" I cry, and forget to lower my volume. "B-but, why? They are a very powerful company, shouldn't you be worried that they will demand that you come back?" Chihaya clicks his tongue in annoyance, which is definitely not a good sign. "O-oh, sorry Chihaya…"

The carefree space surfer then pats my head. "It's fine. My manager's got everythin' all covered. Side's, even if they drag me back, I'll space surf my way out, like that Marvelous Comics character 'Platinum Surfer'!"

"Platinum Surfer? That naked, platinum-clad alien surfer who serves under Cosmotus?" I repeat for clarification. The space surfer nods.

Honestly, this guy… He's certainly got passed along with some "good genes", but he acts so compulsively and is too reckless for his own good. He's also very immature. A total foil to the serious and mature Kensuke.

"Chihaya," I start, and he stops petting me. He stares at me with a blank expression. "I know you don't want to stay as the heir to the Soh Corporation, but you should still go back to your family. Haven't you thought about how worried your mother and father must be? Or your siblings?"

"I'm an only child," Chihaya corrects me nonchalantly. His eyes harden at the mention of his family, if he even considers them family at this point.

Frowning, I continue speaking unperturbed. "Anyways, even though you and your parents think differently, shouldn't you at least talk to them? You should tell them that you're old enough to decide what you want to do, and not be forced to do what they want. At this point, you're just running away from them. If you truly want to pursue space surfing, then you must tell your father to his face!" As I finish my small speech, the space surfer stares at me with awe.

"… Damn girl, you're hardcore. I like that!" Chihaya suddenly perks up and slings his arm around my shoulders. "Just casually saying that I should confront a man who holds vast power… I like that." What!? This… was not the reaction I was expecting. Chihaya then walks away and turns around, then he concentrates in deep thought.

"… Ya know, I guess you're right," Chihaya says. "All this time I've been running from my father like a… sprinter. Yeah, sprinter." He then spins around and faces me in a dramatic manner, surprising me slightly.

"When I get outta here, I'm gonna smack some sense into Pops. Then I'll continue surfing through the cosmos till the day I die. Heck, I'll even try surfing in the afterlife! But I wonder what's more extreme, the crazy heights of Heaven or the fiery pits of Hell?" His transformation from lazy, carefree guy to daring, passionate surfer makes me dizzy. He truly loves his field of expertise, just like I do. I let out a small chuckle.

"Hehe. I suddenly feel a small kinship with you," I say cheerily, smiling at the space surfer. He then stops ranting about space surfing for once and faces me again. "We are both passionate about our talents, and we feel at home when we do it."

Chihaya then gives me a smile and a thumbs up. "Cool, cool... We gotta go do some crazy stunts together sometime. I'm sure someone as hardcore as you could deal with a black hole or two, no problem!" What!? A black hole!? No, he's taking this the wrong way. Hardcore is the last word I would describe myself out of a million words.

"N-no, what I meant is-"

However, I am recklessly interrupted by a fiery Chihaya.

"We should go flying towards asteroid belts and gas giants!" He suggests, his lazy eyes sparkling with energy for once. "We'll race till our bones break."

"No way, Chihaya! Not in a billions eons!" I retort loudly. But I ended up giggling just at how ridiculous the space surfer is right now. Then all of a sudden, Chihaya becomes quiet.

"… You're cute when you laugh. You should do it more often."

It turns out that I still haven't recovered from my emotion overload just a while ago. A bunch of gibberish spouts out from my mouth as my feelings go out of control. The space surfer chooses to ignore me as he reaches for the door leading outside. S-So nonchalant!

"I'll ask Monofairy if we can try and fight some robots. It'll be fun, trust me!" Chihaya exclaims. "See ya then!" He then rushes out of the school store, with the Madoka-tan box in hand, and disappears from my field of vision. I then sigh in fatigue and lean on the wall.

"Darn it, Suzumi… You're right, he IS my type…" I mutter to myself. It's hard to keep up with so many pretty boys…

"But I swear I will remain faithful to Kensuke!" I yell to no one in particular. Probably towards Monocifer, if he ever was watching.

 **(HOLO-ID UPDATE – CHIHAYA SOH)**

 **(Chihaya Soh is the apparently the only son of the president of the prestigious Soh Corporation. While he is now a successful space surfer, it appears that his father disagrees with him and wants Chihaya to inherit the corporation. However, this only drives Chihaya to further distance himself from his father, since he's really passionate about his career.)**

I immediately leave the school store in an attempt to stop Chihaya from trying to kick robot butt, but it appears that I am too late. That boy is quick even without riding his space board. I just hope he doesn't get lost or anything...

"Geez, he can be like Suzumi when he wants to, huh?" I say to myself between bated breaths. Running isn't really my specialty, so of course I am out of breath within minutes. I decide to head over to infirmary to see if there's any energy drinks to power me up.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – INFIRMARY**

 _Well, here I am_. I glance around and scan the room as per usual.

It was a pretty big infirmary, and would probably be better described as a clinic. It has around six beds, a table for the nurse and a bunch of cabinets, all of which I'm sure have various medicine. Sadly, as I walk around and search the infirmary, I could not locate a single energy drink. Sighing in disappointment, I opt to sit on one of the beds instead. It was incredibly comfy, and really soft too. I almost feel like napping…

Until someone else enters the infirmary.

"Oh? You're here too, huh?"

The spunky voice comes from none other than the Utopic Painter, Cassandra Delsin. She then grins at me and waves her hand and then I wave back. She then plops herself beside me in the same bed I am sitting on.

I really hope she's not in a bad mood still. Just yesterday, she pretty much snarled at Monocifer and her temper showed its true colors.

Cass notices my discomfort and sheepishly smiles.

"Hey, don't cha worry now! I ain't in a bad mood anymore," Cass explains in the friendliest way possible. "I'm much more 'chill' now, compared to yesterday." Well that's good to hear. I wouldn't want to deal with that temper of hers.

"So hey, how's explorin', ey? I mean, this place is dang huge! And we really can't access the teleporter to the next floor, too," The painter says, scratching her head in annoyance.

"Well, I just visited the changing room near the public bath back in the dormitory building," I reply. Cass nods, and then sighs. I ask her what's wrong, and she smiles again.

"Eh, nothin' much. It's just… I miss home, ya know?" Cass admits, showing a rather melancholic side to her. However, I can definitely feel what she's feeling right now. It's really tough just knowing we're separated from our families.

"True that. I miss home too. I mean, I'm still worried for Dino!" I exclaim. The painter gives me a surprised look on her face.

"Huh? Who the fuck is Dino?" Cass asks. "Is he your pet or somethin'?"

I nod enthusiastically. "Yes, Dino is my adorable Pomeranian! We're best friends since I was around 10 years old!" Cass smiles at my answer and slings her arm across my shoulders, just like when we were first introducing ourselves.

"10 years old, eh? Mind if ya talk about it? I would love to just relax and talk about everyday stuff for once." Yeah, I guess that would work well for the both of us. Being stuck in here will certainly drag our spirits down." Cass nods and then prompts me to start. Well, here goes nothing…

"I got Dino as a gift from my childhood friend Kensuke. He gave it me during my 10th birthday," I explain. Cass whistles in delight and urges me to continue. "I've always wanted a pet to accompany me as I do my work."

"Whoa, really?" Cass's mouth gapes in surprise. "You started yer' gene thing back when you were 10?" I nod in response.

"If I remember correctly, I read tons of research paper from various award-winning geneticists," I recount with fondness. Reading all those books really expanded my mind back then. "By the time I was 9 years old, I asked my mother and father to bring me to a lab for genetics. And from there, I began volunteering and showing off my theories and knowledge about the subject. And eventually, other geneticists recognized me as a veritable master on the subject." The painter claps her hands in amazement, her eyes wide.

"Wow that is fuckin' awesome, Miku!" Cass beamed. "Most people would take several years just to master that kind of complex science stuff!" I'm actually surprised she would comment like that. Most people after all, take my talent for granted. It isn't as flashy as Suzumi's talent, or as physically demanding as Chihaya's.

"Heh, I'll admit I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction from you," I confess. "Genetics, for most people at least, is a boring and tedious subject to study about. And no offense, but I didn't really think of you as the type of person who would find it amazing." Cass frowns at my statement.

"What? Hell no; ignore those assholes who think your talent is boring!" Cass barks. "If you love what yer' doing, then who the fuck gets a say in it? I know it's not really in my field of interests, but I'll be damned if I didn't think that's amazing!" While the painter speaks with rather strong words, she does raise a valid point.

"Hehe, thanks Cass," I thank the painter with a small smile. She then gives me a thumbs up.

"Don't cha worry bout' the little things. Sides', yer one of the cool geniuses. Unlike that darn Dexter, I'd say!" The painter's facial expression turns sour as she thinks about the intellectual prodigy. "He thinks he's so high and mighty, boasting around his intellect like he's some sort of deity or somethin'!"

"Well hey, at least he told off the Utopic Jerk known as Seiko," I retort. I'm only supporting the prodigy since I'd rather deal with Dexter than Seiko if given the choice. And also, he can be surprisingly nice to talk to.

"Yeah, I guess. Anyhoo, where were we? Oh yeah! So did ya have a mentor or somethin'?" Cass inquires.

"A mentor? Ah yes, I did indeed have one," I confirm. "My mentor was none other than the esteemed Professor Kaminagi. He is someone who I could never hope to match in greatness." Cass makes another whistling noise as she flashes a toothy grin at me.

"Don't know him, but he must be incredibly smart for you to say that!" Cass chirps. "I mean, yer already pretty freakin' smart, so this professor of yours must be a total genius!" I smile as I reminisce Professor Kaminagi's words. He always told me that as long it was realistic and possible, I could do anything.

"Honestly," I start, cracking a smile. "He was like a second father to me. He was willing to teach everything there was to know about genetics. Professor Kaminagi always looked for me, and he is even good friends with my parents." I must be looking really joyful now, since Cass is giving me a sincere smile.

"Just from yer description alone, he must be a great man," Cass says in a respectful tone, acknowledging Professor Kaminagi's brilliance. "He'd definitely get along with mah Pops." Pops? Does she mean her father?

"Speaking of which, could I know more about you and your family?" I inquire the painter, who jolts up in surprise upon hearing my question.

"Wouldn't you be more curious about why I'm a Utopic? Despite my lack of fame?" I frown and shake my head.

"Not really. I'd rather want to hear about you and your roots," I say. "Besides, you're one of the two foreigners in this class, so I want to hear about Neo Angeles and what's life like back there!" Cass heaves a small sigh, which I presume is one of relief. She really doesn't like talking about her talent much.

"Well," She starts as she twirls a small portion of her hair. "Neo Angeles is basically a city of low tech and high tech meetin' up in one city. But I was actually raised in good ol' Texas before I skedaddled over ta Neo Angeles."

"Texas, eh?" I repeat. "Must be pretty hot out there, and I've heard that Texas is one of the few places that stick to a 21st century-esque atmosphere. Not much hovermobiles there, I presume?"

"Damn straight, girlie," Cass affirms. "Life was still amazing as fuck there though! Ya know how Texas works nowadays, so I won't need to go an' explain every single detail er somethin'." Now that she mentioned it, Osaka is similar to Texas in that it also keeps the old traditions alive and well.

"So back ta my current home in Neo Angeles. Ya see, my pops owns a restaurant called 'Roast'. We had a blast over there, and even food critics from various corners of the world came by and ate our dishes. They loved it, and our family restaurant became quite successful."

"Oh wow! I would love to try and eat there!" I exclaim. Cass then frowns, as if disappointed.

"Yeah, as long as we can get out of here…" The artist sighs again. "This is why we gotta get outta here, pronto!" I eye Cass with curiosity. She seems to miss her family a lot. That should be natural though, even I miss my relatives…

"So yeah, that's how my home life works. Of course, I'm just a regular ol' painter as you might reckon'. Nothin' much special aside from me painting stuff." I don't want to question why she was scouted as a Utopic, judging from when she questioned me about not asking about it. It must be a pretty touchy subject, and she did look relieved when I said I wouldn't ask about…

"So, do you have siblings? Like a little brother or a sister?" I ask, hoping to find more connections with Cass, since I have a younger brother.

"Naw, I'mma single kid," Cass informs. "Nothin' really special, as I said fore'." Suddenly, I find another question that needs to be asked.

"So since you're a foreigner, don't you feel left out, or at least miss the company of your peers?" Cass laughs for a bit before she answers.

"Well being a foreigner among you guys doesn't really bother me all that much. Also, mah pals and buddies already know what I signed up fer, so they wished me good luck in Utopia Academy." She then smiles wide and she pumps her fist into the air in delight. "Utopia Academy works out fer me since I've always wanted to be successful and make my father proud of me!"

The painter then gives me a fierce look of determination. "That's why us Utopics gotta stick to each other an' get the fuck outta here!" I smile at her and nod in response.

"Yes, we should stick together," I repeat. "I'm sure we can all escape this mess."

Suddenly, Cass's pocket shakes and vibrates. The painter then shuffles her pocket and holds up her Holo-ID, which was the source of the vibrations.

"Oh man, we gotta get going now, Miku!" She then stands up and pockets her Holo-ID. "Apparently, everyone else is heading back to the cafeteria!" I nod and stand up. I guess everyone finally explored everything there is to offer in this place we call prison. The two of us then head towards the door and leave the infirmary.

If there's one thing I noticed about Cass right now, it's got to be her smiling face and overall happier mood. Well, I'm glad that I am getting along with everyone else so far. Makes it as if our whole situation of being trapped here is far away.

Also, it's great to see Cass being less sassy and more jolly instead. And so, the two of us head towards the cafeteria, hoping someone was able to find an escape route.

 **(HOLO-ID UPDATE – CASSANDRA DELSIN)**

 **(Originally raised in Texas, Cass moved to Neo Angeles with her father. There, her father was able to put up a great business in the form of a family restaurant named 'Roast'. Having a seemingly simple life, there is obviously something much more to this, since she was chosen as a Utopic student. Yet she seems to be pretty uncomfortable with the topic...)**

* * *

 **And so, the first part of Chapter One is over! Please, leave your thoughts and ideas in your reviews, because I love them reviews. Oh, and Monoicfer is not with us this time.**

 **I honestly had a fun time writing these characters and their free time events. It feels as though I am a part of the story too! That's how invested I am in my writing. I really do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter too, because this ride ain't stopping!**

 **Now to answer or comment on the reviews of the previous chapter!**

 **Criminal Limes - If Monocifer were here, he'd be willing to kiss all his admirers, if only to manipulate them into serving him. And yes, I am glad that's how you see Monocifer! I intentional made him look that way, because Monocifer is not someone you should mess with. While Monokuma is dangerous as well, he isn't as "powerful" as Monocifer.**

 **A furious Tokiko is very strong indeed. And violent? Well I wouldn't really say that but there is Norio, who is basically a much cooler version of Kirito. They both fight in virtual reality, but Norio is bro. Glad you like him (And Asuka as well) ; I also really love the entire cast. There's a reason why I chose them. :D**

 **I think you mean Norio shut her down. Just a minor typo. And yes, Norio knows not any mercy in the virtual ring. FINISH HIM!**

 **Title drop!**

 **Nemris - Yes, the games are about to start. Oh boy, oh boy! Even I can't wait!**

 **Temperamental is one word to describe a furious Tokiko and a pissed off Cass. *shudders***

 **Glad you like that moment, that line was just there to add in to the already crazy situation. And yes, more sciency stuff! This is why I love watching Doctor Who and Rick and Morty! Gotta love Sci-Fi.**

 **I know right? My sister is awesome. :D**

 **Shyjoker - Well, now is a good time to show it, actually. I mean, Monocifer did just tell them all to slaughter each other. Any sane person would get pissed or scared.**

 **And a special thanks to you, Shyjoker! I really love your fan art! To anyone who would like to see Shyjoker's fan art, you may check her DeviantArt account. It really warms my heart to see fan art of my stories. Thanks a lot, Shyjoker!**

 **Anyways, that's all from me. See you in the next chapter!**

 **Apex out!**


	8. Chapter 1 Part II

**Apex here!**

 **So it seems I have finally updated! Hooray! It took around 3 weeks though… Sorry about that, to all who are still reading. School's starting up, and by golly has my schedule gotten hectic. I'll miss you, summer vacation…**

 **I made a map of the Utopia Academy Floor 1 and Dormitory Building. Its posted in Imgur, and you can see my profile for the link. Helps with visualizing the entire school, if I say so myself.**

 **Anyways, that's enough about myself and other stuff. Here's part 2 of Chapter 1. Hope you like it!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE – STRANGERS LOST IN PARADISE/2**

 **DORMITORY BUILDING – LUXURY CAFETERIA**

After just a minute of brisk walking, Cass and I reach the eating area. While not everyone was assembled yet, most of the Utopics are already there.

"Yikes, looks like everyone's here now," Cass notes. "Come on Miku, let's join them!" I nod in response and we both approached the group.

Everyone except a certain airheaded space surfer (Chihaya) have already gathered in the cafeteria. I really hope that rambunctious athlete didn't get lost… I then spot a vacant seat beside Kensuke and immediately take it. Suzumi is seated to the tamer's left while Cass sat beside me.

"So now we're seventeen! It seems we still have one missing student…" Zange notes as he scans the cafeteria. "Does anyone know where Chihaya could have gone?" Everyone else looks confused and are shaking their heads. I decide to take this opportunity and tell them about where Chihaya might be. However, the eccentric yet strangely adept timer shoots up her arm.

"Chi-Chi and I were supposed to explore the academy together..." Tokiko pauses for a bit and tries to recollect her experience. "But then I felt the need to go to the comfort room and told him to wait for me. I guess he was impatient, since he was gone by the time I came back." Huh, leave it to the space surfer to get sidetracked easily. His attention span literally lasts only a second. Maybe a fraction of a second.

"I-I see!" Zange says sheepishly, "I guess we should just wait for him then!"

"No need for that," Misao interjects, causing all eyes to veer towards the hacker. She then holds up her Holo-ID and shows a screen. On the top right corner it says "CALL".

"As you can see, we can all easily call each other through this. I'll contact him right now and tell him to come straight here." Oh wow! How did I not see that function? I better fiddle more with my Holo-ID.

Misao then places her card on the table with the screen facing upward. She then taps the "call" button on Chihaya's profile. Then, a hologram of the space surfer appears from the ID.

"Hmm? Oh wow, I didn't know this Holo-ID doubles as a calling device…" Chihaya says through the hologram. "You're… Misao, huh? … What's up?"

"Head over to the cafeteria," Misao orders nonchalantly. "Where are you anyways?"

Suddenly, a certain black and white patterned pixie appears beside the space surfer, just floating near him.

"O-oh! Thank you for calling, I was having a hard time trying to keep Chihaya in check," Monofairy says, apparently out of breath. "He keeps on asking me if he can fight off the guard mechas, and even tried to tussle with one!" In the background, Chihaya mutters "why not" but is quickly silenced by Monofairy. Upon seeing the predicament she is in, Zange moved closer to the hologram.

"Monofairy, could you please bring him here? We need to discuss about our findings."

"O-oh, sure! I'll be there in a bit!" The hologram then turns off by itself and Misao's Holo-ID goes back to the home screen. She then grabs her ID and pockets it.

"Well, that was pretty weird," Misao comments as she relaxes on her seat and leans backward. "I guess they should be heading here now."

Sure enough, Monofairy and Chihaya appeared almost instantly into the cafeteria, surprising many. Does she have a portable teleporter or something? Or is it "fairy magic"? Ugh, I feel like everything is getting really strange…

"Whew, here I am…" Monofairy says then she sighs in relief. She then gives Chihaya a stern look. "Next time, don't intentionally drop your Holo-ID just to fight those security mechas! You could have been hurt badly!" Uh, I think he'll be more than just "hurt badly" when he gets attacked by the guard mechas.

"It's a good thing I saw you and found your Holo-ID. You almost broke the rule!" Chihaya hangs his head down, as if he was a child being lectured by a parent. It looks rather comical, considering Monofairy looks like a child while Chihaya is the one who looks older.

"Hehe, sorry," Chihaya apologizes sheepishly. "It was pretty fun trying to evade that thing with my space board though!" Our monochromatic caretaker's face met her palm. A lot of people in the room share the same sentiment. Just how reckless can he be?

"That was dangerous, Chi-Chi," Tokiko pouts as she went near him. "You also ditched me…" Chihaya laughs sheepishly and apologizes to the timer. The two then sat down, and then the meeting finally starts. Of course, the political activist is the one who starts the discussion.

"Alright everyone~! Now that we are all complete, I guess it is time to discuss about our findings! Who wants to go first?" Everyone glances at each other, waiting to see who will volunteer first. Before anyone else could say a thing, the intellectual prodigy, Dexter, stands up and calls all attention to him.

"Let me start! Asuka Minami and I investigated the three classrooms that are present in the main building!" Dexter reports.

"I can attest to his report," Asuka says, suddenly standing up as well. "Sadly, our search was a failure, as none of the aforementioned classrooms had any lead or opening for an exit. It's all shut tight." The mecha pilot reports her findings so formally, just as a soldier would do towards a general or to a commanding officer.

"Also, I have confirmed that all the classrooms are soundproof," Dexter adds in. "I have tested this by asking my partner Asuka Minami to stay in the classroom as I go outside and shout as loudly as I could. She told me that she didn't even hear a single sound despite having keen senses as a formidable soldier." The mecha pilot nods, confirming the prodigy's words.

"Ooh, _partner,_ eh?" Zange coos flirtatiously. "Could it be that you two have an _interest_ in each other~?" Annnd there goes the serious atmosphere. Dexter and Asuka just stare blankly at Zange.

"Well yes, you would be right about me having an interest towards Asuka Minami," Dexter confirms, apparently not knowing the true context of the political activist's words.

"You _do_!?" Zange asks ecstatically. Dexter simply nods in response.

"Why yes! After all, I treat Asuka Minami and everyone else as unique and interesting people!" Looks like the Utopic Intellectual Prodigy isn't so "intellectual" when it comes to love and relationships. I glance at the mecha pilot, and she doesn't look particularly perturbed about the whole thing. She must be dense as well, or just plain ignorant.

"Anyways," Kensuke cuts in, breaking the current topic. "I have discovered that our dormitory rooms are also soundproof."

"Oh yeah, he's got that right!" Masumi beams. "Earth here had me test that in the same way Dexter and Asuka did!" Really now, "Earth"? What's with that nickname?

"Earth, huh? Why that name for him?" Suzumi asks. Thanks for asking the question in my stead, Suzumi.

"Well he's an animal tamer, so he's very close to the Earth!" Masumi answers with a grin present on her face. Wait, she only nicknames people she likes… Does that mean they explored the academy together and did something I don't know about!? Ugh, now's _not_ the time to be jealous over these things…

"U-umm… I also contributed to the search!" Shiro squeaks. "I went w-with Hayato a-and S-Seiko a-and we c-checked t-the Trash Room!"

"The bard is indeed correct about that!" Hayato yells suddenly, causing me to jolt upward in shock. "Our surveying journey led us to the Trash Room, which houses an ominous void of darkness!" Void of darkness? What the heck is he talking about?

"By that silly name, he means a wormhole," Seiko interjects. "However, do not think for a second that it is a potential escape route, for it only transports you to a black hole." Oh, I get it now. A black hole being used as a means of waste disposal... Well, it is possible to use black holes as fuel for spacecrafts and other machinery, so I wouldn't be surprised if the prestigious and rich Utopia Academy used them as a trash removal option.

"Indeed, I was surprised to know that Utopia Academy uses black holes in such a way!" Hayato adds. "Kind of like my mechas! Except I use black holes as an energy source."

"Well that's pretty dangerous," Masumi comments. "If someone were to accidentally fall into the wormhole, wouldn't they end up getting tossed into the singularity?" Ugh, what a horrible image that is. Anything that crosses the event horizon of a black hole will most certainly die a horrible death.

"T-that w-would be r-really s-scary!" Shiro shrieks in fear, biting her nails rapidly as she did so. "B-but t-that won't h-happen… Right, Hayato?" At the mention of his name, the mecha engineer pounds his chest proudly.

"Indeed, Shiro! Milady Masumi, you need not worry about such a horrendous possibility!" Hayato booms. "There is a gate that blocks anyone from getting inside the wormhole. Trash is put on a conveyor belt that leads to the wormhole, so we need not approach it ourselves." Well that's great to hear. No death by spaghettification for any of us.

"Okay, anyone else want to report?" Zange asks, glancing from Utopic to Utopic.

"Me, me!" Suzumi beams. "I first checked out the dressing room in the dormitory building with Miku!" Oh yeah, I guess I should speak up as well.

"Well, there wasn't much in there aside from the Auto-Changers that each have our names… And of course, the entrance to the public bath. We didn't actually go inside though…" Kensuke places his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.

"That's alright, Miku," Kensuke starts. "I think it's pretty obvious what goes on inside a public bath…" Well that's true I guess, but oh well…

"And after that, I went on ahead to check the Laundry Room, and as expected, there are lots of laundry machines! They are all big enough to fit even the largest and bulkiest of clothes!" Suzumi explains.

"Was there anything that stood out, hun?" Zange asks. My teen idol friend shakes her head in response.

"Not really, it was just your ordinary laundry room. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"I see," Zange starts. "Thank you for that wonderful report, hun~. Now, who else would like to share their finding, hmm?"

"I've got something I want ta say," Cass starts. "I looked around in the infirmary with Miku over here. Just a regular ol' clinic, if ya' all ask me. Medical supplies, pills and other clinic stuff. And there's aroun' 6 beds, I reckon'."

"Yes, I went to the infirmary as well, after I met up with Suzumi and Chihaya. Nothing out of the ordinary, sadly," I add in. Zange nods in understanding and continues to type down something in his Holo-ID. It must have a notepad or reminder function as well in it. What a useful little device this Holo-ID is.

"How about our tardy student, Chihaya? Did you find something, hmm?" Zange suddenly asks, causing Chihaya's eyes to snap open. Did he just take a nap…?

"… I guess I did find some stuff," The athlete admits lazily. His posture is as laid-back as ever. Makes me think Norio and him would be great buddies. "… You see, there's a lot of cute things in the school store near the hallway goin' to the dorms… Gachapons, shirts, collectibles and tons of other toys, like this thing." Chihaya then brings out the Madoka-tan toy I gave him, which is completely intact and inside its box.

"Whoa, that's Madoka-tan!" Suzumi exclaims, her bright cerulean eyes glimmering like a gem upon seeing the magical girl action figure. "I love that anime! I even cosplayed as her during one of my events!" Ah yes, I remember that convention, the one where Kensuke, Suzumi and I all attended. It was during the World Pop Culture Festival, where all the world's geeks, nerds, otakus and fans meet and celebrate all things pop culture. Fun times, indeed.

"Whoa, you did? I love that show. Never miss an episode...well, not until now, anyway," Waving his Holo-ID in the air, Chihaya sighs, "since there's no internet here," He then hides his box and continues on with his report.

"Anyways… There's nothin' really of note there, escape route-wise. Also… If ya want to play the games and gatchapons… You just need to find some strange looking coins…"

As I recall the moment when I first saw Chihaya in the school store, I suddenly remember him saying something about "Monocoins".

"These coins… Do you mean the Monocoins you mentioned back then when you were trying out the crane game?" I ask. Chihaya slowly turns his head to face me before continuing.

"… Yeah, that. They're everywhere, but you can only find them if you look hard enough…" Chihaya explains. For all of his laziness, he has a sharp eye for these things.

"So basically, the school store is a novelty store!" Harukaze chimes in, seemingly excited about the existence of a novelty shop. "I would love to try and go there!"

"Want me to join you when we have free time?" Chihaya asks, to which the spirit medium nods. Huh, how unlike of Chihaya to suddenly invite someone. Oh well.

"I reckon' that it would be the perfect place ta hang out and kill time," Cass adds. Well, it's far better than killing each other, I suppose.

"Yes, that's right!" Monofairy beams in delight. "There are a lot of things there that you can give as gifts to further bond with each other!" When she puts it that way, it's like saying "It's okay to stay trapped in Utopia Academy as long as you enjoy your stay". But knowing Monofairy, she probably didn't mean it like that.

"That place is meaningless then," Misao says coldly, her eyes shut closed and her arms crossed. "We must find some way to escape our captor's grip, not dilly-dally around like some idiot."

Misao's comment dampened the casual atmosphere a bit, but nevertheless everything is fine for now. Let's hope no one else tries to ruin the mood any further.

"Ah yes, before I forget, I have a report to make," Harukaze chimes in, her sudden voice cutting through the silence. "I decided to explore the Storage Room in the dormitory building. I asked Norio and Yuki to escort me." The virtual gladiator gives a thumbs up in approval, and Yuki just nods his head blankly.

"Harukaze, Yuki and I decided to snoop around in the storage room. Didn't really find anything that leads to an escape route or whatnot." Wow, Monocifer really locked us in this school really tightly. No one has found a single clue about a possible escape route so far.

"Yeah… We really couldn't f-find a single thing…" Yuki says, hanging his head down in frustration.

"Well, that's just great," Dexter says sarcastically. "I really hope there would at least be something that could help us, considering it is an old storage room."

"I am truly sorry to be a bearer of bad news, but I only speak the truth…" Harukaze says sorrowfully. "However, Norio, Yuki and I have found some rather interesting things in the storage room."

"Yeah, like this thingie here," Norio adds as he holds up an old looking folder. He then places it on the table for all of us to see and opens it. In it is a single paper sheet of blueprints. And upon closer inspection, it seems to be a map of the school!

"Wow, this is a pretty neat find!" Suzumi exclaims. "But this definitely means we are in the real Utopia Academy…" Oh yeah, she's right about that. So Monocifer really did seize control of Utopia Academy…t

Dexter grabs the blueprint and boots up his Holo-ID and compares it to the map given to us by Monocifer. He glances at both maps back and forth.

"I see now," Dexter starts as he puts back the blueprint on the table and pockets his Holo-ID. "If you look at the bottom-right part of the map in the blueprint, you can see that's there's no extra teleporter. However, the map in our Holo-ID does indeed have an extra teleporter located just south of the school store."

Upon hearing the words of the prodigy, the Utopic Painter leaps out of her seat, steering everyone else's attention yet again.

"Speakin' of which, I found me some weird ol' teleporter room right where ya described it! Sad to say that I couldn't skedaddle in, though." If I remember correctly, Cass did mention that when we were in the infirmary. Something about a locked teleporter.

"If that's the case, then why do you think it's there in the first place?" Shintaro asks, scratching his chin as he does. "Unless… Could it be that the blueprint is outdated?"

"No, I doubt it," Seiko answers rather calmly, and is actually not acting like a jerk for once. "If you looked at that blueprint carefully, you'll see the date etched on the lower left corner. And it clearly states that this blueprint is the latest mapping, as the year is 3000. Sadly, it does not state the day or month."

Well, it seems that the salesman is good at spotting the little details. No wonder why he's jerk to everyone; he pinpoints tiny little flaws in a person and uses it to criticize them. Well at least he's contributing something useful now…

"Really now?" Zange asks. Seiko just points at the blueprint, and the political activist scans it thoroughly. "Ah, I see! It is indeed printed on the paper!"

"The date aside… What other meaning does it have?" Yuki wonders, his eyes still glued to the blueprint. "This is pretty confusing…"

Now that I get the chance to look at the therapist's face, why does he seem so emotionless? It is a stark contrast to his face when he's shy or stuttering. Was he always this ethereal looking?

I erase those thoughts in my head and decide to pay attention to the current discussion.

"Well, it could also mean that this school was recently renovated to prepare for the school's 100th anniversary…" Tokiko suggests. "However, that does not explain the extra teleporter…"

"Hey, aren't you the Utopic Timer?" Norio inquires.

"Yes, why?" Tokiko answers. The gladiator then crosses his arms and stares at the timer.

"Well, just wonderin' if you could tell whether or not how new or old the school is just be checkin' out the walls er' somethin'." What a ridiculous question! Anyone should be able to tell how old or new something is simply by looking at it.

"… Now that you mentioned it, the walls of the school look pretty new," Tokiko states. She then scans the walls of the cafeteria before continuing. "It looks like the school has been made exactly two days ago." Everyone else in the room looks at the timer with shock.

While I did say anyone could tell how old or new something just by analyzing it, I did not expect that it is possible to pinpoint an exact estimate on how old one thing is exactly!

"Hmph. That is a very precise answer. Are you sure you are right about that or are you just fooling around?" Asuka sharply demands of the timer.

"Yes, I'm fairly certain about my answer… After all, isn't that what my talent is all about?" Tokiko affirms, which just drives more confusion amongst the group.

"W-well, unique talents aside, this could only mean one thing," Zange starts. "This means that the Utopia Academy staff renovated the entire school in two days." What!? But that's impossible!

"That's preposterous." Misao counters. She took almost all my words straight out of my mind. The ever-doubtful hacker then gazes at the eccentric timer with a dismissive look on her face. "You, silly girl. Are you absolutely positive that this school was renovated two days ago?" Tokiko nods innocently.

"H-how can that be?" Suzumi asks, taken aback by the recent revelations about our school. "A school this large can't be renovated that fast!" Yeah, by the time we all entered the academy, it did not show any signs of renovation. What's going on?

"Guys, are we even sure that it has been two days since the renovation?" Shintaro inquires, his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. "Maybe we're getting the date wrong. I mean, the Holo-ID doesn't even provide us a calendar! We have no idea how long it has passed since the day we left for Utopia Academy!"

"Shintaro has a point," Asuka consents. "We are currently lost in time, and even with Tokiko's talent, we cannot be sure about the date today."

"Hmm… Sadly, I cannot tell what date it is… I can only tell how old something is, but even then not everything is precise…" Tokiko grimaces. "This estimation is rather recent, since its two days old so I can tell that long. But I cannot tell what is the exact date and month… And if I get the date wrong, my entire estimation falls apart." So Tokiko isn't a time wizard. Now how are we supposed to find out how long has passed since the day we left for school?

Speaking of which, I can't seem to recall the date when we all met…

"Um, does anyone recall when exactly we met in Utopia Academy?" I ask. Everyone else shakes their head, even Tokiko.

"Somehow, I seem to have forgotten. This is rather peculiar… Even I, the great Dexter, can't seem to figure out just why exactly!" Dexter exclaims. If even the Utopic Intellectual Prodigy is stumped, then there's no way we can figure it out.

"Hey, Monofairy!" Cass yells. The kind little pixie jumps up in surprise upon having her name called so suddenly. "What's the date today?"

"E-even I don't know… I'm so sorry!" Monofairy proceeds to bow her head repeatedly, apologizing over and over.

"It's alright, Monofairy," Zange reassures our monochromatic caretaker as he gently pats her on the head. He then faces us again with a serious look on his face. "Okay guys, so we don't know the current date and what date we all left for Utopia Academy. But does anyone have a clue or something?"

No one says a word-understandable given our rather strange predicament. However, one person raises their hand.

The hand belongs to none other than Suzumi, the Utopic Teen Idol and my best friend.

"What if… Our memories have been tampered with?" Suzumi starts slowly, which effectively builds up tension among the Utopics. "What if Monocifer actually… erased parts of our memories? Or what if he straight out obliterated our memories and replaced them with fake ones?"

As soon as the teen idol finishes her sentence, a large blue flame erupts from the floor just near our table. There were some screams and panic, but they subsided as soon as the fire vanished.

However, what was left in the blaze's wake wasn't exactly pleasing.

* * *

"Greetings, my dear students!" Says our elegant, yet malicious headmaster, Monocifer. Oh joy.

"GAHH!" Hayato yells, his pupils dilating in fear. He leaps up and faces the demonic angel. "Do always have to appear so suddenly!?"

Monocifer chuckles slightly before he bows his head and continues speaking. "Why, of course! As your headmaster, I need to be able to reach my students instantly!"

"Why you little…!" Cass growls as her fists ball up. "You could give us a heart attack! Just look at Shiro! Ya bastard!"

Sure enough, the guitarist looks like she could faint anytime soon. Thankfully, Zange approaches Shiro and comforts her by giving her a protective embrace.

"You fiend! What else could you possibly want from us!?" Dexter demands, his mood suddenly sour. Well I can't blame him-there's been a lot of stressful happenings in this school.

"Oh nothing~" Monocifer chirps jokingly, treating everything as a game. "I just wanted to see how you little pathetic beings are doing!"

"The fuck, that was uncalled for!" Norio counters, his previous carefree mood gone. I also noted his use of a curse word, which must be a rare event given his previous speech patterns.

"Before any of you continue to look for an escape route, let me tell you that all your efforts are futile." Monocifer's face suddenly cracks a crazed grin, which is something I don't see every day.

"Futile, useless, meaningless, fruitless, ineffectual EFFORT!" Monocifer finishes, his suddenly psychotic grin growing wider and forever scarring me. That face is just horrifying!

But then, the insane angel lightly slaps his face twice, and his face is back to normal.

"Oh, pardon me! I almost lost myself there!" He then bows politely again and smiles. "Apologizes!"

"Y-you're a freak of nature…" Misao comments, her composure already wearing off due to the uncanny nature of Monocifer.

"Anyways, you may continue talking about escape routes and so on, but let me just inform you all that you're all wasting time," Monocifer explains. He then casually glances over all of us, his smiles still as big as ever. "So why don't you just kill each other?"

Monocifer just tells us to kill each other so casually. Why the hell does he think he would even resort to that!? I open my mouth to protest to this god awful devil, but someone else takes a step forward.

What's surprising is that the one who does indeed step forward is Seiko.

"Hey, Monocifer," Seiko calls, his trademark smirk now decorating his face. "Why do repeatedly tell us to stop looking for exits?" At this, Monocifer just gives the salesman an unamused look.

"Because it's there no exit!" Monocifer yells irately. "I'm doing you idiots a favor by telling you that there's no hope on this floor whatsoever!" Looks like his temper is up.

"If that's the case," Seiko starts, his smirk growing wider. "You shouldn't mind if we explore right? Unless there's something you don't want to show to us…"

"Hmph, so you think you're so smart, eh Seiko?" Monocifer taunts, giving the salesman his own smug face. "Why are trying to taunt me in front of all of your classmates? To gain trust from them?"

"No, not really. I just have to wonder… about why you're so self-contradicting."

Everyone stares at the Utopic Salesman in shock. I know how much of a jerk Seiko is, but I didn't expect he'd have the balls to mess around with Monocifer himself. If only just direct his less than pleasant attitude to Monocifer exclusively, he would be less hated by me. Or by everyone else in general.

Monocifer however doesn't back down, and he responds by chuckling at the salesman, showing absolutely no signs of being uncomfortable.

"What do you mean?" The demonic entity demands, to which Seiko then grins triumphantly, as if he just won a debate or something. He chuckles lightly, as if mocking the unholy angel.

"You tell us to live in harmony and give us such comforting living spaces," Seiko explains. Placing his left hand on his forehead, he shakes his head dismissively. "Yet you tell us to kill each other. Don't you see how strange that is?"

Yeah, he's got a point. But I guess Seiko's doing this just to coax out Monocifer's motive for keeping us in here. Let's see if the salesman's devious plan works.

"Hah!" Monocifer suddenly laughs in contempt. "Why what other reason for me to trap you in here aside from making you all feel despair?"

There, he took the bait. But Monocifer motivation is despair? What in the universe could he be talking about? Before I could ponder more about the headmaster's strange motives, Seiko speaks up again.

"So you're basically bribing us. You offer us protection and a safe place to live in, but in exchange we can't go back home. However, you also offer us to escape, just at the cost of killing someone. That might be sufficient for these fools, but that isn't going to work for me."

"Oh?" Monocifer sneers, further looking down at the salesman. "How so? You seem so confident."

"Well of course! You think I will fall to your game? No, not ever." Seiko then turns his back to the demon. "Not even you, our supposed captor, scares me."

Monocifer grins at him and crosses his arms. "Very well, Seiko. We shall see about that." He then extends his wings and prepares for flight. "Now, I bid you all-"

"-Wait!"

Monocifer, and everyone else in the room, turns to the source of the voice: Chihaya.

"… If you say that you don't mind us explorin', then why don't you open up the second floor for us?"

"No, I cannot do that. You see, it's stated in the rules, my dear Chihaya," Monocifer explains, turning around to face the space surfer as he tucks in his wings.

"Yes that's true," Seiko starts, then proceeds to pull out his Holo-ID. "However, there is a way for us to unlock the proceeding floors."

 **9\. Students may not proceed to the next floor of the main building unless you either catch a "blackened" or you defeat a floor guardian.**

He's pointing at that rule… He obviously doesn't mean to kill each other just to go to the next floors, right? So that could only mean one thing; Chihaya is planning to fight off this so-called "floor guardian"?

"W-wait… Seiko, we can't just kill people to explore the next floor! That's insane!" Zange cries. "Unless…"

"Yes, this is actually a logical plan," Misao cuts in, interrupting Zange from speaking any further. "I am pretty sure whatever that 'floor guardian' is, a group of 18 people can defeat it."

"Are ya actually planning to fight that guardian or whatever?" Norio asks. He bumps his fists together in an excited manner. "Cuz' if that's the case, then I'm hella in!" As expected for the gladiator, he loves a good brawl.

"That's what I was hoping," Chihaya chimes in, pumping his fist into the air in delight. "We're gonna go... hardcore mode!"

"But guys!" Shintaro exclaims. "There are many people among us who aren't suited to battle! Myself included, of course!"

"We have a soldier, a space surfer, and a gladiator. I think we can manage," Misao interjects. "Besides, there's a lot of smart people here… We can think of a plan."

"I see! So you want to challenge the floor guardian!" Monocifer exclaims, his eyes sparkling in excitement. "Interesting! This is going to be fun~"

"W-wait, Monocifer!" Zange interjects worriedly. "We still have to vote whether we are all in agreement to this." He faces us with a worried look plastered on his face.

"Alright, who thinks we fight the floor guardian?"

Suddenly, all the Utopics present various degrees of reaction. Everyone is talking at the same time, with each student discussing about whether we should go through with it. As for me, well… I think it is suicide to try and go up against the floor guardian!

"Ya know, it would be a lot easier for us to just beat up that guardian and explore this school more so we can find an escape route or somethin'…" Norio suggests.

"It will be dangerous for all the Utopics who are not experienced in self-defense, but I can assure you all that I will do my best and protect everyone," Asuka chimes in. "Aside from piloting mechas, I can also fight on foot just as effectively."

"Okay guys, just raise your hands if you think we should go and fight this thing!" Dexter barks, apparently getting annoyed at all the clashing voices coming from all the Utopics.

Various people raise their hands. Among the ones who are crazy enough to consider fighting against whatever thing we're up against are Chihaya, Misao, Seiko, Asuka, Norio, Masumi, Hayato, Tokiko and even Kensuke. Why, Kensuke? We could badly hurt just trying to fight off whatever horrors Monocifer has prepared for us!

"That was unexpected," Dexter notes. "So roughly half of the group thinks we should fight this unknown enemy…" We are around 18 students in the group… So that means 9 people think we should fight this guardian, while the other 9 (Which includes me) think otherwise. This is going nowhere…

"Guys, we should fight this thing!" Norio yells. "It's much better than sulking in our rooms waiting for rescue! At least we can explore more of this darn place!"

"Absolutely not!" Harukaze protests quite loudly. "We absolutely cannot risk getting hurt! In fact, that 'guardian' might just… y-you know! And we are not even sure if the next floors have an exit! Oh, this is truly horrible…"

"Guys, you do realize that Monocifer is just in front of us, right?" Seiko notes, pointing at our crazed headmaster, who just waves his hand in response.

"Oh don't mind me!" Monocifer chirps, a small smile decorating his face. "I'll just wait for your decision! In fact, I'll leave for a while. See me in the Combat Room if you make your collective decision, okay?" He then spreads his wings and flies out of the cafeteria, disappearing in an instant.

I doubt he'd say reveal about the next floors having an exit or whatever, but we have to wrap this up quick.

"It's too dangerous! I honestly don't think it's worth it," Zange says before facing the animal tamer. "And Kensuke, I know you are one of the most reasonable among us! Your two 'girl-friends' even say no to fighting the floor guardian!" Kensuke just lowered his cap, covering his eyes.

"I believe it's dangerous, yes," Kensuke admits. "But we do have some people who can defend themselves, and even people who know how to fight. We all have to try to protect each other with our strengths, and compensate for our weaknesses Teamwork and cooperation are key here."

"But Kensuke," Suzumi starts, her worried eyes directed to the animal tamer. "It will be very dangerous for all of us, no matter how skilled at fighting we are."

I'd be inclined to take my crush's advice, but I'm scared. If we're going to battle a monster or a mecha, the possibility of dying is indeed sky high. And Suzumi brings up a valid point; all of us will be in danger, no matter how strong any of us are. This is a real life gladiator-style brawl, not a virtual one!

But I guess we are left with no choice at this point. We either stay here forever, kill each other or fight off the floor guardian. I steel myself and focus. Sweat drips from my forehead as I grit my teeth in concentration.

The possibility is very real. But we have to at least try. So sorry Suzumi, but I have to side with Kensuke and change my vote.

"E-everyone, please hear me out!" I cry bravely, not wanting to lose to despair and fear. Surely enough, everyone's attention gets directed to me.

"I change my mind; I agree with Kensuke. We should try to fight that floor guardian! While we have no absolute guarantee that we will find an exit when we unlock the next floor, we have to at least try! Besides, it is much better that we work together, rather than fear when someone could possibly kill another!" I breathe in and continue recklessly-heck I'm not even sure what I'm saying!

"Because at this point, we have to do something! Would you just let yourself do nothing and rot away in this school? Aren't we Utopics!? We are literally the most talented people in our age group! And even without our status as a Utopic, we each have our own strengths that we can use! Because we are all people who can amazing things! We're not just Utopics-we're human beings! We rose from the ashes a millennia ago, despite the world was already barren and ruined!"

I glance at Suzumi and Kensuke, who apparently have their lower jaws hit the floor and their faces decorated with shock in response to my ramblings. Well not literally, but you get my point. I then close my eyes and ready to deliver the punch line.

"Well? Are we going to stand here and continue to mope around or are going to make a difference!?"

I finish my speech with a heavy heart, as I breathed in and out rapidly as if I had just finished a marathon. I was also pink-faced from my speech, since speaking out isn't something I do often. Now I just hope they can take me seriously… Knowing myself though, I'm pretty sure they won't.

All the Utopics stare at me in silence. I begin to frown as I look from student to student. Do they all think I'm crazy!? I somehow predicted this wouldn't work out…

"Wow, Miku Shishido! I did not expect that from you!" Dexter exclaims, breaking the awkward silence. "Such confidence! Such dazzling capability of speech!"

W-what!? I don't it's that impressive… But thankfully the prodigy listened to me.

"W-wow…" Yuki says, astonished at my speech. "That was… very cool!"

"I was just thinking same thing, hun~" Zange comments in joy as he strides towards me pats on the head. "You did great out there~!"

The political icon face then morphs into one of seriousness, presumably ready to share a piece of his mind. Now here's the Zange I know!

"Miku here has opened my eyes," Zange starts, turning around to face the rest of the Utopics. His eyes look fierce and passionate, as if a fire were alight in his pupils. "Thanks to her, I've changed my mind. I've said this once and I intend to stick to it; we are the Utopics! We will never fall to despair! Now my classmates, let us all do our best to leave the clutches of our demonic captor!"

"Yes! To battle we go, cavalry!" Hayato yells with his usual hamminess. "Let us fight as one as we strive for our goal!"

"Whatever," Misao interjects, her face colored with boredom. "As long as we can find an alternative to killing each other, then I'm all for it. I didn't need a sappy speech from a little scientist like her."

"I don't really like violence," Cass admits. "But what the hell, ight'? We got nothin' else to do at this point!"

"Hell yeah, it's time to show my skills!" Norio booms passionately, his lazy eyes morphed into the eyes of a blazing warrior on the battlefield.

"I-I'm s-scared, I will a-admit," Shiro says, trying her best to sound brave. "B-but now t-that I heard what e-everyone has t-to say… Then I'll go f-for it!" Even Shiro is convinced? Wow, so this is the power of hope!

"Alright, now I ask again; do we take Monocifer's challenge?" Asuka asks everyone for confirmation.

"Yes!" Numerous Utopics yell. I guess with enough fighting spirit, everyone can fight as one. Monofairy, who has been silent for quite a while, flies in front of everyone-effectively giving her center stage.

"I see you've all come to your conclusion," Monofairy says, her voice low and calm. She seems so mature now… "I will not try to stop you, but I must warn you all. All the floor guardians have strength equivalent to that of a hundred men." Then, the fairy's voice became quiet as she softly says "please be careful, Utopics. I couldn't bear to see any of you injured."

Zange nods, and smiles brightly at the monochromatic pixie. "Don't worry, Monofairy. We will be careful, right guys~?"

A collective "yes" erupts from everyone's mouth (yes, even me). Our caretaker smiles in relief.

"Okay then. I'll go ahead and meet you all in the Combat Room." And with that, Monofairy teleported away.

"Alrighty then, are we all ready for some monster hunting?" Shintaro inquires of everyone. "I'm still scared, but with everyone working together, we can do this!"

"Hell yeah we are!" Chihaya cheers excitedly. I guess he's always wanted to fight something, that reckless surfer…

"Then let's go… To the Combat Room," Kensuke suggests.

We all leave the cafeteria in one quick motion. But as we all go, I can feel something strange within my heart. I guess I am still scared, after all. With a heart filled with both doubt and hope, I continue walking with the rest of my classmates towards an uncertain future.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – COMBAT ROOM**

It turns out that the so-called Combat Room is located near the dormitory area. And as we all entered, we are instantly greeted by a vast, pure white room. This entire place must be at least several hundred meters across. When compared to the already massive cafeteria, this Combat Room makes the said cafeteria look like a bedroom.

And hovering in the middle of the entire room is none other than the deranged half-angel, half-demon abomination known as Monocifer.

"Welcome, one and all!" Monocifer announces in a jovial tone. "I am truly glad to see you all attend our first practical exam!"

"What!? Practical exam?" Cass sputters. Yeah, what the heck is he talking about now? I thought he said there wouldn't be classes.

"Think of all these activities as schoolwork!" Monocifer explains, still keeping his cheery tone. "After all, we are a school of despair and murder!"

Cass grits her teeth in frustration. "Y-you sick bastard…! I ought' to smack some basic morality into ya!"

"Cassandra Delsin, please calm down!" Dexter pleads, with Cass thankfully listening to him.

Suddenly, Monocifer vanishes and reappears right in front of us in an instant. He just loves surprises, doesn't he?

"Alright, there are only a few rules here in the Combat Room," Monocifer starts. "I'll update everyone on the rules in your Holo-IDs."

As soon as Monocifer said that, my Holo-ID rang. I hold it up and check the update. The home screen gave way to a new one.

 **RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COMBAT ROOM – By Monocifer!**

 **1\. Students may not leave the room or quit fighting when the battle starts. Students may only leave the floor guardian is successfully killed or one of the students die to the guardian, and to the guardian only.**

 **2\. No harm can be done to the Headmaster during the battle. Any students who tries to harm the Headmaster will be instantly executed. Even if by accident.**

 **3\. Students may choose to cooperate or compete with each other. Killing of other students while there is a battle going on is allowed, but the battle will continue on.**

 **4\. In battle, you can use any resource you currently have on hand.**

 **5\. Additional regulations may be added if deemed necessary by the Headmaster.**

I almost feel like puking after reading the rules. Why do they have to be so morbid? And why the heck would he allow us to kill each other when there's already a monster out to murder us? To make matters worse, we can't even back out unless the floor guardian kills one of us, or we kill it!

"These rules are preposterous!" Hayato growls. "There's no way that they could be considered reasonable!"

"Yeah, he's right!" Masumi agrees, backing up the mecha engineer.

"This is pure madness!" Dexter thunders. "These rules are too risky for us students! We might as well just kill ourselves!"

"Then do it," Monocifer interjects with frightening seriousness. His now cold, blank eyes stare into Dexter, as if his soul were being sucked into the demonic angel.

"Y-you fiend…!" Dexter manages to choke out. He is absolutely unnerved by the headmaster's sudden sternness.

"Anyways!" Monocifer suddenly perks up and in a cartoony-like fashion, he turns around quickly and flies towards a sky box in the far edge of the Combat Room. The speakers then boot up, causing me to jolt upwards slightly in surprise. "Monofairy and I will be watching from here, my dear students!"

"Be careful, okay guys!" Monofairy's soft, cute voice calls out. It is projected from speakers mounted on the blank walls, similar to Monocifer's voice a short while ago.

"W-wait, don't we at least get weapons?" Norio asks, desperate for additional protection.

"Nope! You provide your own resources!" Monocifer answers. The gladiator just smacked his two fists together.

"Well fine. Can't argue with that-I've brought my own weapon; my fists!" Norio proclaims. What a quick change of heart. Well considering his talent, he must be just an expert at fighting with or without a weapon.

"W-wait, we'll be fighting barehanded!?" Yuki asks while shivering. "That'll be near impossible!"

While Norio, Asuka and Kensuke are fine without weapons, I doubt the rest of us are up to the task for some barehanded brawls (Except maybe a sufficiently pissed off Tokiko, but I don't see her flying in rage randomly). At least Chihaya still has his space board and can use it as a weapon…or as a means for a quick getaway.

"Yes, my dear students! Didn't I put the rules already? Does it say that we'll be providing weapons? No? Then there." Monocifer really is an extremely sadistic bastard, allowing kids to fight monsters unarmed! And we don't even have armor; all we have is our uniforms, which while comfortable, they don't provide decent protection.

"Now, let the fighting commence!" Monocifer announces. All of sudden, the entire room shook, and an automated computer voice rings across the room.

 **"BATTLE ENGAGE. NOW RELEASING BATTLE DRONES."**

A hatch opened up from the floor, and from it came numerous humanoid-shaped drones. They were all metallic grey in color and had a single red flashing eye. They were built with lightweight plating, and were each unit was as tall as Seiko, who is the tallest in our group.

The worst part? They immediately started charging towards us like frenzied animals.

"Oh shit! Here they come!" Cass screams, and suddenly everyone scrambles around. I manage to spot Asuka gritting her teeth as she parried an attack from one of the drones with her bare hands.

"Haha! This is more like it!" Norio passionately yells as he proceeds to smash the drones with his fists. Both Asuka and Norio are handling the robots with relative ease, however the other students who can't defend themselves decide to run around the battlefield, trying to escape the clutches of the mechanical killers.

"A-ah! G-get away from me!" Shiro shrieks in horror as she hides behind Hayato, who was closest to her. "P-please h-help m-me o-out!"

"S-Shiro!" Hayato gasps, gaping at the bloodthirsty combat drones. It seems that Hayato's "knightly" hamminess has vanished, and instead he is behaving like a normal, scared teenager. "I-I can't fight these things!" At that, the two of them run away. Upon the retreat of those two, the drones turn their heads towards me, as if analyzing prey.

What do I do in response? Well, I flee in terror, of course!

I immediately bound from my position in an attempt to avoid the atrocious robots from trying to kill me. However, a drone manages to catch me by my wrist.

"G-Get away!" I scream in fear as I flail around in an attempt to get the drone's hand away from me. I fail spectacularly. And I was the one who suggested to defeat the floor guardian…! I'm so stupid-

A loud "CLANG" shatters my thoughts, and I look at my robotic assailant. It turns out that the drone was kicked on the head… By none other than Suzumi.

" **No one touches my bestie like that!** " The idol bellows in anger, with the teen idol doing some sort of fighting stance. It just came to me, but I remember that Suzumi has trained under a self-defense school before to fend off stalkers and other criminals! Looks like she still got the moves!

The drone who was gripping me let go and decided to go after Suzumi instead. And there are three other drones out to get her as well!

"Suzumi!" I cry. "B-be careful! There are four drones surrounding you!" The teen idol gives me a smirk and a thumbs up.

"This is no problem for me!"

As soon as she said that, the four drones charges at her simultaneously. The first drone throws punch at Suzumi, but she easily leaps over the fist and counters by delivering a swift kick straight to the neck of the drone, causing it to fall over.

Upon landing, she went to a crouching position as the second drone went for a hammer arm attack. However, the swift idol manages to roll out of the way and trips the second drone by performing a low kick. Then she leapt up again to dodge another punch from the third drone and rushes towards me.

"Come on Miku, I can't defeat these drones unarmed!" Suzumi barks tiredly, her face dripping with sweat. She continues to pant tiredly. I guess she hasn't really practiced in quite a while. But there's no time for that! We have to scram!

"Okay! But where do we go?" I ask as the two of us run away to escape from our robotic attackers.

"We need to regroup and find the others! Kensuke should be strong enough to take out these drones!" Suzumi cries. "Besides, these robots aren't exactly made out of the sturdiest materials!" My eyes light up as she stated that. So that's why she was able to kick those drones without hurting her feet!

Out of nowhere, another drone appears and blocks our path. It looks like it could attack any second now! I glance at Suzumi, who is the only one capable of fighting off that thing from the two of us. She glares at the drone as she clicks her tongue.

"Ugh, more of them? I'm kind of tired right now!" Suzumi complains, but nevertheless she takes up a fighting stance. "Don't worry Miku, I will won't let them hurt you!"

She's acting tough. I know that she won't be able to last much long if she keeps on fending off these drones! I have to try something. If my individual punches and kicks won't work, then…

"Alright Suzumi! It's time for me to return the favor!" I shout and bull charge the drone. Instead of using only my fist or legs, I decided to use my full weight and do a head-on tackle. I crash into the drone with considerable force, knocking it off its feet. My overall weight was able to take down the drone! Not too sure if I should be happy about my weight being strong enough to knock out a drone, though…

"Nice going, Miku!" Suzumi cheers, giving me a thumbs up. This celebration would obviously not be long-lived.

As such, we are both too late to notice another drone sneak up on us. It traps Suzumi in some sort of neck lock, silencing the idol. She desperately tries to remove herself from her mechanical assailant's grip, limbs flailing.

"N-no!" I cry out. I then reach for my pocket and bring out my ball pen. With my best friend at stake here, my legs move on their own as I feel adrenaline course through my veins.

"HAH!" I yell out a battle cry as I try to stab the drone. With a "crack" sound, my ball pen was destroyed as it made contact with the drone's body. However, I don't stop there as I repeatedly punch the drone with little success.

The robotic warrior then tosses Suzumi away and decides to seize me by the neck. Is this it…? Is this how I die? I get choked to death by a combat drone?

Its grip becomes tighter and tighter… Haha, looks like I'm going to die in the same manner as my nightmare. How ironic. As my neck continues to be squeezed, I can just barely hear Suzumi trying rescue me with weakened kicks.

I… I don't want to die yet. Not yet, not now! I flail around and struggle, but it is of no use…

Just as I was about to close my eyes, a fist smashes onto the face of the combat drone, causing it to release its grip on me. Having the hand of the drone finally removed from my neck, I wheeze and start to breathe in lots of air. For now, it seems I'm safe.

And as I looked up at my savior, I see Kensuke. Okay, never mind that he looks smoking hot right now, complete with his shirt ripped and his abs exposed! The animal tamer just saved me from death, similar to the golden spear that saved me in my nightmare.

"Kensuke!" I beam, being extremely relieved to see him. However, it looks like he isn't in the mood to talk. I just sit down quietly and watch the scene that was about to unfold.

Both man and machine glare at each other for seconds. Then, the drone acts first, and had made for the tamer's blind spot behind him in less than second. Its equally quick arm launches a fist towards Kensuke. However, Kensuke turns around with sudden speed and dexterity, repelling the drone's strike with a backhand attack.

Suzumi, who still awake and was also watching the fight, rushes towards me.

"Miku, is your neck still okay!?" Suzumi asks frantically, her voice cracking from the gravity of the situation. She then hugs me and shivers in terror. "T-this is just too much!"

I gulp down hard and steel myself. After that, I help Suzumi stand up.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," I answer calmly. However inside, I'm still worried about Kensuke… He may be strong, but he isn't a fighter.

The animal tamer and the drone continue their battle. The robot lunges towards Kensuke, but he dodges to the side with the agility of a falcon. Using his momentum from his sidestep, he readies his leg to deliver a kick to his opponent.

However, the drone then shifted its position and evaded the tamer's attack. Kensuke raises an eyebrow at the unexpected dodge. The combat drone counters by kicking him straight in the abdomen.

"Kensuke!" I shriek, my voice painted with fear and worry. Suzumi gasps in shock as the fierce battle drone turns the tides to its favor.

However, Kensuke just grits his teeth and elbows the robot on the face. With the drone staggering from his attack, Kensuke then strikes his mechanical foe straight on the face, then delivers a flurry of punches. He then finished his combo with a single, powerful kick towards the head of the drone. Upon impact, the head was crushed by the sheer force of the tamer's attack.

The drone fell down to the floor lifelessly as its head region sparkles with electricity before shutting down. After quite a fight, the animal tamer proves victorious!

Both Suzumi and I rush towards our male best friend and hug him from both sides.

"You did it!" I yell, still hugging him tightly. Kensuke chuckles slightly and scratches the back of head.

"It seems that their head is the weak spot," Kensuke notes, and both Suzumi and I release our hug. "Anyways, we have to regroup with the others!"

"Yeah!" Suzumi agrees, hopping up and down repeatedly.

"That will not be necessary anymore."

My eyes veer towards the source of the voice; Asuka Minami. She is holding a drone head on her right hand, with the wires on the bottom of its neck still crackling with electricity. She then tosses it aside. Asuka was able to destroy a combat drone barehanded. That is far beyond my physical capabilities…

"Did you just… tear off that's drone's head from its body?" Suzumi asks warily. Asuka nods in response. She's definitely someone _not_ to mess with.

"Zange has told me that everyone will meet up here."

Said political activist arrived, looking as clean and ever. Did he actually fight?

"W-whew! I'm so glad Asuka was able to protect me… I honestly had no idea how to fight a battle drone!" Zange explains. "I'm so sorry for asking you defend me, Asuka!"

The mecha pilot shakes her head. "There is no need for apologies, Zange Ichijou. After all, you are a very important person in the world of politics, and I also promised to provide protection for all civilians."

"Hey!" A familiar voice from overhead says. "That was awesome, guys!" From his space board, Chihaya flies across the combat room and lands his board near us.

"Did we clear them all?" Dexter asks, his face drenched with sweat. "I-I swear, close quarters combat is definitely not my expertise!"

I then see Seiko walk towards us with a bunch of Utopics behind him. He doesn't look the slightest bit tired, in constrast to the other Utopics behind who look like they just ran a marathon.

"We… managed to destroy them somehow…" Shintaro manages to speak, although he is very tired.

"They were really scary…" Tokiko comments. Actually, she should see herself in the mirror when she flares up in rage. Sure she's got a pretty face, but she turns into the Incredible Bulk when furious.

"Thank the stars that they allowed me to live…" Masumi adds in, panting tiredly.

"It seems that all 30 drones have been destroyed. I think we're good to go," Seiko notes, clicking his tongue. He then turns around and faces the sky box which Monocifer and Monofairy were in.

"Congratulations!" Monocifer's ever jolly voice echoes throughout the combat room. "You passed the practice test! Now it's time for the real guardian!"

What!? This was all just a test!? But more than half of our entire group need rest! This is insane!

"H-hey!" Cass yells, albeit with a softer voice than usual, most probably caused by her fatigue. "We're already dead tired, then ya gonna chuck another fuckin' robot at us?"

"I knew it," Hayato pipes up. "Looks like we never actually fought a floor guardian-but now we are!"

"Ready or not, here it comes!" Monocifer's voice reverberates throughout the entire room. I glance at Kensuke, who seems to have a very serious look on his face.

"N-no w-way…!" Yuki squeaks, apparently out of breath as well. "We're definitely going to die…!"

Yuki pretty much summed up our situation. If we don't think of a plan, we'll probably all die. All the Utopics huddle close to one another, as Kensuke, Norio and Asuka all move to the front. Chihaya remains close behind, a relaxed smile on his face. His space board is ready for action, hovering beside him.

"Stay back, everyone," Asuka orders, putting in distance between herself and the rest of the Utopics. "I shall handle this."

"Hey, ya can't do it alone," Norio chimes in, cracking his knuckles as he walks beside the mecha pilot. "I haven't even got a decent exercise yet…"

 **"BATTLE ENGAGE. NOW RELEASING FLOOR GUARDIAN."**

At first, nothing happens. Then, the entire ground shakes violently, causing many to trip and fall. I lose balance and stumble, but thankfully Suzumi catches me. I silently thank her, and then stare at the large thing in front of us.

Smoke was covering it, but a faint outline becomes barely visible. A shape that obviously isn't like the rest of the combat drones; it was a creature on all fours. Even from afar, I could tell that this thing was massive. Not as massive as the 1000 feet tall Monodragon, but still pretty big.

Slowly but surely, the thing moves out of the smoke. Its footsteps cause the room to tremble and quake. Each of the creature's features becomes sharper and more defined as it strides toward us on all fours.

Then, a mighty roar thunders across the room, causing many of the Utopics to cover their ears in response. Finally, the entire creature reveals its full appearance for all to bear to witness to it.

It was a large, draconic-like monster. Its mouth was decorated with large, sword-like teeth, as drool falls from its maw as it stares at us hungrily. On its head were three large, protruding horns reminiscent to that of a triceratops. It has a bulky and solid body, with charcoal black scales covering its entire being. Supporting its weight were four equally muscular and bulky legs, with sharp claws from each foot. Its tail was more akin to a mace-with spikes.

It glares at us with soulless, white eyes. The monster cautiously trudges towards us.

Zange deflates almost immediately, all bravery and confidence sucked dry. Asuka stares at the creature in shock, her body tense and alert. Beside me, Suzumi huddles close to me for support, wrapping her hands around me. And Norio, who is upfront with Asuka, is continually opening and closing his mouth in shock, without a single letter actually escaping the gladiator mouth.

This creature… Is this the floor guardian?

"My dear students," Monocifer starts, his voice amplified by the speakers. "Meet the floor guardian, 'Monodrake'! 15 meters long, and weighing in at 8 tons, this is truly one magnificent creature!"

The terrifying monster then roars again, and lunges toward us. Asuka grits her teeth and glares at the creature.

"Here it comes!"

* * *

 **AND there we go. Cliffhangers suck, don't they? Don't worry, we'll be back in 2 to 3 weeks! So stay tuned!**

 **Monocifer: So, what did you think about the fights? Weren't they exhilarating?**

 **By exhilarating, you mean dangerous. These kids could die to a sized monstrosity like that! Oh, how will they ever survive this?**

 **Monocifer: I'm pretty sure this chapter will come as a surprise for all you readers, since the Danganronpa franchise is known for trials, not brawls!**

 **Eh, just look at the Danganronpa 3 anime. Mister "Yu Narukami" lookalike has a freakin' katana and used it to battle Great Gozu. Great Gozu then proceeds to smash open a sizable hole on the floor. And in the Despair Arc, Nidai and Owari battle it out!**

 **Monocifer: Stop spoiling our readers! Anyways, most of this chapter is inspired from the latest anime of Danganronpa, with all the crazy fights.**

 **Uh huh. So anyways, to the reviews!**

 **IfTimeWasStill – Glad you enjoyed the new length of the chapters. From the previous onwards, 9000 to 10000 words will be my new benchmark.**

 **Pop culture references everywhere! XD**

 **And from that day onward, ships were launched.**

 **Shyjoker – Miku as Mickey Mouse. That is unexpectedly adorable. Why must Miku be so small and cute!?**

 **Yeah, maybe next time Tokiko could win. Who knows, everyone gets to vote after all.**

 **Weird signs, eh? It seems that you're picking up on the subtle mysteries, I see…**

 **Nemris – Suzumi, a peppy Teen Idol, has a serious side!? Yup, that's right. And yes, Chihaya is definitely peculiar.**

 **Yep, Cass is pretty chill, eh? She just tends to get… pretty temperamental at times.**

 **That's fine, as long as I know you're still reading the fic! (Though I have to admit that reviews are getting fewer…)**

 **Alright, that's all for now. Don't forget to review, because those keep me alive!**

 **Apex out!**


	9. Chapter 1 Part III

**Apex here, with another late chapter... Whew, where to start.**

 **Okay, so my absolutely amazing beta reader read the draft and went basically "WTF is this". So I had to take suggestions from them, and revised an entire scene away. Like, this was supposed to be an early chapter, but I'm glad my beta reader told me that it was a pile of mess. That is why it took long.**

 **So I ask of you, please forgive me! I just wanted to give my (few) readers a good time, so I revised this entire thing. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. And please, your opinion matters. If there is something that seems off or is just plain bad, don't sugarcoat your words and give me your honest opinion.**

 **Now with that out of the way, its time to fight the boss! I suggest you listen to some video game OST of boss theme while reading this chapter! I personally wrote this chapter while listening to the OST of "7th Dragon III: Code VFD". The music was composed by Yuzo Koshiro! Specifically the "Battlefield - Threat of 7" theme.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE – STRANGERS LOST IN PARADISE/3**

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – COMBAT ROOM**

The Monodrake towers menacingly above us, like an eclipse blotting out the light. It moves before we do, bringing down a heavy arm upon the Utopics. As we scramble away from the giant reptile, debris and shattered fragments of the pure white floor fly into the air from Monodrake's sheer strength. Letting out a blood curdling snarl, it signals the beginning of its hunt-and we are its prey.

However, the brave (and probably foolish) mecha pilot stands her ground, waiting for the monstrous reptile to charge straight at her.

Asuka jumps out of the way, just narrowly avoiding being gored to death by those massive horns. She then tries to kick the creature, but that only served to annoy it as it casually swats aside the mecha soldier using its massive arm like a baseball bat. Asuka manages to land on her feet as gracefully as possible, but it is apparent that she has sustained damage.

As if laughing, the Monodrake makes a shrieking voice-relishing in the raw emotion of fear seeping from us. In fact, just the sight of the most powerful among us students get hurt pretty much seals the deal that we are definitely its prey.

It's like we are all food on its dinner plate-and there's no such thing as food that fights back.

Meanwhile, I see the rest of the Utopics-notably Cass and Misao-arguing. I decide to approach them cautiously.

"Well? Aren't there a lot of smart people here?" Cass demands, glaring at Misao. "What's the plan!? I bet ya sure didn't expect a fuckin' dragon to murder us, eh!?" The hacker just clicks her tongue in annoyance, not meeting Cass in the eye.

"Fine, you're right," Misao admits begrudgingly. "But before we argue, we have to find a way to defeat that thing!"

"Oh yeah?" Cass challenges, not backing away from the hacker. The painter's intimidating glare and obvious height advantage doesn't scare away Misao, however. "I'd like to see you cook up a plan then!"

Before the heated argument could potentially evolve into a fight, Harukaze steps in.

"Please, we shouldn't fight like this! That immense hellspawn will try to attack us while we are distracted!" The spirit medium emphasizes her point by pointing at the Monodrake. Thankfully, the two Utopics stop arguing at this.

"Guys! Asuka is going to get killed if we don't do something!" Kensuke yells, prompting all of us to glance back at the mecha soldier.

The drake tries to slice her in half as it swipes it claws, but Asuka manages to dodge each and every attack. However, without a weapon, the mecha pilot cannot do anything against the vicious creature and she is forced to continue evading.

The mecha pilot grits her teeth in frustration as she continue to launch swift strikes upon her draconic foe, but none of her kicks or punches can even scratch the creature's obsidian hide. I then manage to catch a glimpse of Shiro, who seems to be shivering in fear and is huddled close to Yuki.

"Even if we had weapons, just the monster's scales are enough to shield it from attacks!" Zange notes worriedly as Asuka continues to hold off the Monodrake by herself. Everyone just stares in terror. Even Norio looks scared, despite being a virtual gladiator and an all-around brave guy.

I honestly don't know what to do. And neither does anyone else. Harukaze seems to be in prayer, her hands together as her mouth opens and closes but without a word coming out.

Everyone else aside from Norio and Asuka are not capable of even standing up to the Monodrake. Zange looks absolutely worried and is trying his best to calm down the others. Masumi, Cass, Misao and Dexter are arguing about something, debating about the monster's potential weak points.

Then there's Seiko, who has a deep frown on his face. I doubt he is worried about everyone else, so maybe he is worried about himself only?

And of course, small and powerless me is just standing still, taking in the horrifying situation with a blank stare. Is this our final resting place?

The vicious battle between woman and beast continue, with the Monodrake gaining the upper hand. The black dragon's claw comes down faster with each passing second, and it manages to slash up the pilot's skirt.

Asuka decides to ditch the skirt, ripping it in half. She also slings off the uniform's outer jacket. Underneath her skirt, she is thankfully wearing black shorts. Without the school uniform impending her movement, Asuka is noticeably much more agile. She quickly unleashes a barrage of rapid and continuous attacks upon the monster.

The floor guardian continues to try and kill the mecha pilot, twisting its body in an effort to reach for its smaller foe-reminisient of a cat chasing mice. If I were in Asuka's place, I would already be dead. There's no way I can possibly dodge those attacks without tiring out!

Asuka leaps around the Monodrake like a gymnast. She whips her body to the limit to evade the lumbering creature's blows. Raising its right foreleg, the enormous drake tries to flatten the mecha pilot, but Asuka just used the monster's foreleg as a leverage and kicked off, effectively boosting her jump. She delivers a kick straight to the creature's eye, which causes it to reel back in pain.

Satisfied that she finally damaged Monodrake, the mecha pilot lands on the floor and then dashes towards the monster. However, she instantly sidesteps to the side in just a split second, as the monster nearly crushes her by suddenly swinging its mace-like tail at her. The creature then goes back to attempting to tear Asuka in half with its dangerous claws. Not really a smart animal, I see.

"I'm impressed she managed to last this long," Dexter comments. He eyes the mecha soldier with awe. "Nonetheless, I have to dismiss the notion that she could take it down alone, so we need to think of a plan."

"Yeah, you're right Dexter!" Suzumi suddenly springs up nearby the prodigy. "We have to think of something!" But then, a certain someone decides to abandon the concept of planning.

"Yo, mecha girl!" Norio calls, rushing towards the fight recklessly. Just what does he plan on doing!?

"N-no!" Asuka yells between claw swipes, "Stay back! I shall sacrifice myself so that you may all leave the combat room!" Is she insane!? No one should throw in the towel like that!

"Hell no, dude! No can do." Norio says casually before thrusting himself into the battlefield. He gallops like a parkour practioner would, and lands on the head of the drake, grabbing onto its horns.

Monodrake, of course, tries to shake off the virtual gladiator by thrashing about like a bull would. Each footstep shakes the combat room, and I try my best not to trip and fall.

"Alright, get out of there, Asuka! Before this thing decides to aim for ya again!" Norio yells, struggling to keep holding onto the horns of the monster as it continues its rampage. Asuka reluctantly agrees and rushes towards us.

"Are any of you hurt?" The mecha pilot inquires, not possessing the slightest bit of fear. She's so emotionless despite the imminent threat looming over us.

"Thankfully none are too injured," Zange starts, then he eyes her with worry. "You on the other, look quite roughed up! Are you sure you're alright, dearie?" Asuka nods, and then glares at the black beast.

"I can't even damage its body… I need a plasma rifle to be able to penetrate its thick scales." A plasma rifle, huh? That creature sure is tough! Normally I would be ecstatic about the discovery of a new organism, but this one is actively trying to kill us, so I'll pass.

"Well, what do you propose we do now?" Seiko wonders, walking towards the mecha pilot. "I'd rather not die at this very moment, you know." Asuka closes her eyes in concentration-or maybe it is to drown out the salesman's arrogant and selfish squabbles.

"For now, we need to help Norio. He won't keep up for long."

Sure enough, the scaly monster successfully shakes off the Utopic in question. He falls to the ground with a crack. That's got to hurt! I hope he's okay.

"Ow! Damn this thing…" Norio winces in pain.

"Hey, meat shield! I'd dodge if I were you!" Misao shouts, alerting the gladiator. He tries to stand up, but fails upon doing so.

"O-ow… Shit, it hurts!" Norio cries out, clutching his left leg. This is bad; the Monodrake might go after him!

"HEY! YA BIG BOZO!" Cass yells so loudly, that the Monodrake actually looked at Cass instead of pursuing Norio. The painter is holding a piece of crumpled paper, all balled up.

"Take this, you motherfucking son of a BITCH!" The painter tosses the paper ball, and it harmlessly falls on top of the monster's head. Needless to say, nothing really happened.

"Um, where did you get that paper?" Tokiko asks casually.

"Just from my personal doodle notebook."

This prompts the black drake to walk toward us slowly, its drool still dangling off its maw. Hideous indeed. Most-if not all-of the Utopics back away slowly in the same pace as the monster that is stalking us like a hunter scanning its food.

However, Chihaya suddenly took off flying with his space board. With insane speed, the athlete grabs Norio just before the monster could go back to targeting the injured gladiator. They return, landing near us.

"Nice save, buddy!" Norio cheers, giving the space surfer a thumbs up. Chihaya nods solemnly before bolting away again on his board.

"Alright, you big lizard," Chihaya murmurs, his usually absent-minded expression replaced with one of quiet determination, "take this...!"

The space surfer flies around the Monodrake in a circular pattern. This somehow manages to confuse the beast, and it tries to attack him but fails in doing so. Chihaya flies towards the edge of the combat room (which is a feat, given how far and vast the place is) and then blasts towards the monster in a jagged line.

Just before the space board collides with the Monodrake, Chihaya jumps off and lands on the floor spectacularly, without sustaining a single injury.

Due to the sheer acceleration of the board, the ensuing crash toppled the massive beast as it tumbles down with a large 'boom'. It was a direct hit on the head, and the Monodrake lies there, motionless. The space board, seemingly unscathed, hones in and floats back to Chihaya, who grabs it and grins softly.

Cue the cheers of the Utopics, ecstatic at the fact that the creature has fallen. However, I can still see its chest moving up and down, meaning it isn't kicking the bucket just yet.

"Me, 1. Monster, 0." Chihaya notes triumphantly, pumping a fist in the air in a lazy fashion. He turns around to face us. "Did you guys just see that!?"

"Whoa! How did your space board survive such a collision!?" Hayato asks, moving towards the athlete as he scans the board. "There's not even a single scratch on it!"

Chihaya proudly knocks on his space board with his knuckle. "This baby is made of Anti-Asteroid alloy. Nothing short of a comet... could break this thing!" Hayato's eyes sparkle in delight as he continues to ogle Chihaya's equipment.

"Alright, back on topic! I've thought of a plan after constant debating with Masumi Hoshikawa and Misao Kitagawa, my fellow classmates!" Dexter announces. Everyone veers towards the prodigy.

"Make it quick, or we'll be lunch. I doubt that thing is actually dead," Misao interjects nonchalantly.

"Agreed!" Masumi adds in.

"So as we all can see, the underbelly of the foul creature has no protective scales," Dexter points out. I glance at the Monodrake's fallen figure and sure enough, there wasn't any sign of those obsidian scales. "That is its weak point, so we have to concentrate all of our attacks on there!"

"How will we attack its belly if it's always on all fours?" Tokiko wonders, cocking her head while placing a finger on her chin.

"We take it out now, and we distract the monster if it gets up," Dexter answers, his expression serious and leader-like. His gaze reminds me of an instructor giving out commands. Maybe Asuka was right; he could become a chief tactician or something.

"Now here's how it will flow. First, Asuka, I need you to distract the creature by jumping above him. However, the leap needs to be quite high. This is because you need to make sure that it tries to reach you by standing on its hind legs. After that, we will all tackle the beast on his stomach, hopefully causing it to fall on its back. Then we can proceed to damage its soft underbelly!"

"Sounds good, but how sure are we if we can hurt it without any weapons?" Kensuke asks.

"Well, we could use Chihaya's space board. It should be strong enough to damage the monster's internal organs," Dexter reasons.

"Another question. Are you sure we can topple that thing? Monocifer mentioned that it's 8 tons in weight!" Shintaro exclaims.

"Well you know the old saying; the bigger they are, the harder they fall!" Dexter answers with confidence.

Naturally, all of our lives are hinging on this plan. I know I can trust his intellect, but I still have my doubts. Nevertheless, it's the only thing we've got!

"U-um, guys?" Yuki calls out, his face contorted into one of fear. "It's awake and angry!"

* * *

The Monodrake lets out another mighty roar, confirming Yuki's statement. It charges towards us, wide eyed and snarling. Oh great, here we go again!

"Alright, everyone split up! Now!" Dexter commands, yelling at the top of his lungs.

We all run away in different directions. I just hope the prodigy's plan will work!

As soon as I am sure that the Monodrake isn't chasing me, I stop and rest for a bit. I then look at the monster, who is currently being confronted by Asuka.

"Everyone! Gather up now; I shall handle the distraction of the beast!" The mecha pilot cries. As soon as she said that, all the other Utopics quickly converge a safe distance behind Asuka, as I hear everyone's heart beating wildly from their chest.

The overgrown lizard swings its left front leg in an arc, intent on striking down what it perceives to be prey. Thanks to Asuka's superhuman combat skills and honed reflexes, she manages to leap over the Monodrake's left foreleg and uses it as leverage to jump up high above the beast.

This prompts the drake to arch its back in an attempt to catch the soldier using its jaws, forcing it to stand on its hind legs.

"Perfect!" Dexter cheers. He points at the creature's soft underbelly, which is exposed for all of us to see. "Now, gather around! On the count of three, we will tackle the creature and hopefully, it will fall on its back! One, two...!"

Now this is the crucial part of Dexter's plan. If we can make the Monodrake fall, we'll be able to damage it!

"Three!"

Upon Dexter's count, all the Utopics (minus Chihaya and Asuka) charge the black beast, targeting the monster's weak point. The drake groans as it flops back. Asuka lands on the throat of the beast, adding more pain to its fall.

"Yaaay, we did it!" Suzumi cheers, having successfully tumbled the beast.

"Now, Chihaya!" Dexter yells, giving the space surfer the signal.

From above, Chihaya's smirk can be seen even from afar. He jumps up and delivers a solid kick to his space board.

"Take… THIS!" Chihaya shouts, his space board bolting towards the beast with near instantaneous velocity. It crashes straight to the throat of the monstrosity, hopefully killing the massive lizard.

Chihaya, who is still suspended in the air, begins to fall. But like a boomerang, his space board returns to him, and he sails through the air effortlessly. He lands near us with a confident smile decorating his face.

"Yes! You did it, Chihaya Soh!" Dexter cheers triumphantly, his smile reaching the ends of his face.

"Thanks," the space surfer replies, his small burst of excitement already gone. He doesn't have much more to add, apparently. The virtual gladiator approaches Chihaya and slaps him on the back hard-hard enough for the thinner athlete to almost fall over.

"You were really great, man! You should consider being a virtual gladiator!" At this, the space surfer rubs his back, muttering a soft "nah, its fine".

"Hey, Monodrake isn't moving… I think we successfully killed it!" Misao cheers, and for once she looks happy. Either that or she's just glad that she's alive.

"Look like targeting the unprotected throat was a good plan after all," Yuki comments, for once not stuttering. "I'm so glad we all made it through!"

I go near and stare at the body of the massive creature. Being a geneticist, I decided to try and observe what this being could possibly be. Sure, it has scales, but I doubt it was a reptile, even though it also looks like one. Based on how it attacks and acts, it seems to be energetic and active, akin to a tiger. No cold-blooded creature could move that fast at a sustained pace…

It bears a striking resemblance to a drake from mythology. But it can't possibly be an actual drake, so is this perhaps an undiscovered species?

I continue to probe its corpse, poking and staring at it with wonder.

But then I fail to notice that I'm not touching a corpse, but rather a living, breathing being.

The Monodrake springs up, back to life in mere seconds. I try to scream, but I instead close my eyes. No way can I dodge this monster's attack, now that I'm well within its striking range.

I feel a gust of wind blow me away. It pushes me with considerable force. I land on the pavement with an audible crash, but I am somehow still alive.

I hear a rather loud scream. The same kind of scream when one is experiencing excruciating pain. Then, other screams were let loose. I hear my classmates scrambling about in panic. Despite my aching back, I push myself upwards, and slowly open my eyes. There, I see the horrifying truth.

Kensuke hangs on the black monster's jaws, his face contorted into one of extreme pain. I stare at the horrifying scene with a slacked jaw.

"Hey," Chihaya starts, blasting off yet again with his space board. "You are not going to eat my buddy."

Chihaya crashes his space board onto the Monodrake's face, causing it to open its mouth and drop Kensuke. He falls to the ground, but is caught by Norio in the nick of time.

After a few seconds, I snap out of it. There's no time to waste; he needs me.

"Kensuke!" I finally scream after having my body frozen in fear. This is bad, he's in serious pain now! He could die if we don't do something!

Norio then places the injured form of Kensuke on the floor. He looks at me and says, "Take of care of him, will ya? This lizard's gonna pay, I swear." The virtual gladiator walks up to the black beast with an angry look on his face.

"I'm going to whoop your ass. Hard."

As soon as Norio said this, he rushes towards the monster and punches it on its unprotected area. It growls in annoyance, but then it seems that the monster has forgotten about Chihaya as he interrupts the enormous reptile by ramming the Monodrake again, causing to teeter. It manages to stay upright, and hisses at the two brave students.

Norio takes up some sort of battle stance, with his fists raised and guarding his face-akin to that of a boxer or something. He unleashes a barrage of extremely quick strikes, each looking like a blur due to the speed. He tries to damage it by targeting the unprotected underbelly.

Fed up of all the attacks, the Monodrake leaps into the air and lands a safe distance from the two Utopics, his landing causing a large quake and breaking large pieces of white debris. It roars again, and bull rushes towards Norio and Chihaya. The two dodge almost effortlessly.

I immediately run up to my best friend and crush. I sit down and let him rest on my lap. It seems that he has some scratches on his being, and his left rib seems to be bleeding slightly. Did he… get his rib damaged!?

"H-hey… Miku…" Kensuke weakly rasps, his breathing getting more irregular. "…You're safe, thank goodness…"

I grip his hand tightly. I want him to know that I'm still here-that I can help him!

"K-Kensuke, don't speak! Save your energy!" I say in a panicked tone. "Kensuke, stay with me!" However, his grip on my hand gets weaker. I turn pale white in fear and worry. This can't be happening!

"Kensuke!" Suzumi yells in fear. She goes beside Kensuke and holds his other hand while crying, "We're both here for you… Both of us…"

The animal tamer manages to stifle a laugh. "Haha… Whenever I'm with you two, I also feel a lot more relaxed." He then looks at the Monodrake, battling Norio and Chihaya. Heck, even the other Utopics like Hayato and Shiro are trying to distract the creature by throwing some small debris made by the monster when it crushed the pavement.

"Look Kensuke, everyone is distracting it from us… To keep you safe," Suzumi informs, trying her hardest not to cry. However, I could not hold my sadness any longer.

Before long, tears started to fall from my eyes. Seeing Kensuke, the boy who I love with all my heart, hurt like this is heart wrenching.

"Please, Kensuke!" I cry, my vision blurring. "You can't die, not now! I… I need you…" I bury my head into his bloodstained jacket. I don't care if his blood gets to me, I just want to touch him and tell him its okay… He doesn't have to take this pain all alone.

"It's unfair… You already suffered enough… It's too much…"

I feel someone patting my head. I look up and see Kensuke straining himself just to smile.

"It's okay Miku… As long both of you are safe…" Suzumi is silently crying as well, her ability to speak seemingly vanished.

"…As long as I know both of you are safe… Then that's enough for me."

Kensuke then winces in pain, and I immediately stop leaning on him. Oh stupid Miku, what have you done now!?

"Hey, that's it! You need to be treated now!" Suzumi shrieks, her tears falling uncontrollably as it stains the animal tamer's jacket. "We won't leave you here!"

"Hehe… I think my right leg is damaged, and my rib is hurting like hell as well. Don't think… I can walk for now…"

"Monocifer, please call off the fight," Dexter declares suddenly, his body tense and alert. His jacket is drenched with sweat; most likely from dealing with the Monodrake.

"Oh? It seems that one of our students is dying!" Monocifer says in a sing-song voice, pissing me off. Suzumi stands up, looking even more furious than I am.

"No! Kensuke is not going to die! We just have to call off the fight and treat him now!" Another deeply grating and aggravating laugh drowns out from the speakers, courtesy of Monocifer.

"No way, please try to read the rules more thoroughly! No shall leave or quit unless the floor guardian kills one of you or it dies."

"You better reconsider, you motherfucker!" Cass yells, taking our side. "Kensuke's here and sacrificing himself for his friends, an' all ya gotta say is wait it out till he fuckin' dies? Where the fuck is the morality in that, you shitty asshat!?"

"Whoa, watch your language, my dear Cass," Monocifer says casually. "We're only rated T, but your constant cursing might bump up the rating…" What the hell is he saying now!?

Masumi stops throwing rocks for a while and approaches the beaten form of Kensuke and examines him.

"Thankfully the Monodrake didn't chomp on him too badly, but…" Masumi reports with a low tone, her cheerfulness all gone. "He needs treatment!"

"Monocifer! Let us out! We need to treat him, now!" I plead, but the crazed headmaster doesn't oblige.

"If I were you, I'd think of a way to kill that floor guardian~" Monocifer chirps cheerfully. "Or you could all just wait for him to die. Now hurry along! Oh, I just love a good bloodbath!" At that, the speakers stop, meaning Monocifer chooses to just ignore his students.

"That jerk! What do we do now?" Masumi clicks her tongue in annoyance. "Earth seriously needs help right now…!" Kensuke is thankfully still alive and has a pulse, but he seems to have fallen unconscious. But if this takes too long, then…

I reach into my pocket and grab the handkerchief Kensuke handed to me way back when we first met Monocifer in the assembly hall. I then use it to try to wipe away some blood.

At this, Asuka tenses her body, her gaze on the black monstrosity fierce as a flame.

"If that's the case, then I'll willingly sacrifice myself. Kensuke is a very reliable and mature person-he deserves to live on," Asuka declares. Of course, Zange won't have any of this.

"No, Asuka! You shouldn't do that!" Zange interjects, trying to convince Asuka to not kill herself. "We should instead find a way how to kill the Monodrake instead, so we can hurry and treat Kensuke!"

"First things first guys," Norio starts, as he points at the monster. "Run!"

Everyone else scrambles about again, fear painting their faces. Some Utopics try to attack the Monodrake, but their efforts are futile as the beast continues unpertubed. However Suzumi and I don't move from our spot; no way were we going to leave Kensuke alone!

"Don't worry Kensuke, we'll be with you…" Suzumi say softly, brushing Kensuke's hair as if she were a caring and loving mother. I just hug him and close my eyes, ready to die with my two best friends.

"Hey… Suzumi…" I call out to my friend with a hushed tone, a gentle smile on my wet face. My ever-loving idol friend gives me a smile of her own, and her cheeks are tinged a slight pink, and there are very faint streaks, most definitely left behind by tears.

"It's sad really, that I won't be able to confess to Kensuke. It would be an amazing wedding, really. I would invite you as one of my bridesmaids. There would be singing and dancing…" Before I know it, I start to cry. I sob and hiccup, as Suzumi continues to hug both me and Kensuke.

"I just want to live on… There's so much I want to do in life…!" I say, my voice increasing with each passing second. "I want to keep researching, I want a family… I want… a future…"

"Me too, Miku… Me too…" Suzumi answers solemnly.

I can't take it anymore. I shut down my mind and opt to lower my head and cry miserably. This is it, I've hit rock bottom…

I hear my classmates screaming "get out of there!" and the sounds of the massive monster's footsteps closing in. At this point, I don't care anymore. I'm at a paradox. I want to live, yet I want to die now.

If Kensuke were to die, then I would die inside. My soul would by torn to a trillions pieces. If that's how my life concludes, then so be it.

But then, I hear a sound. Something colliding into the Monodrake. The ebony beast roars in pain, and its footsteps shaking the room.

I slowly open my eyes and decide to see what happened.

"…Don't give up," Said none other than the timer, as I sense something from her. My eyes open even wider when I realize that she's livid.

"I loathe it when kindness loses," Tokiko starts, her back facing me. She then tightens her fists, and even I can tell that it would not be a good idea to interrupt her. "And I especially hate it when Stupidcifer just lets others die for his own enjoyment! He REALLY makes me… ANGRY!"

At this point, I'm just glad that the timer's anger is not directed to me.

Tokiko screams in primal fury and leaps towards the massive monster, who was still staggering from her first assault. She then kicks the creature from midair, which causes the Monodrake to whimper in pain. She lands on the floor with immense force, causing some of the white pavement to crack and send some debris flying.

"After I'm done with this overgrown newt of yours, I'm going to punch the living daylights out you, Stupidcifer!" Tokiko shouts, obviously directed towards our headmaster. Nice try Tokiko, but newts are amphibians, not reptiles.

The timer decides to demonstrate just how scary she can truly be when furious. Using one of the larger pieces of broken concrete, she somehow manages to lift the large wreckage (a feat given that the debris is as big as her).

"HRAGGH!" With a loud battle cry, she tosses the piece of concrete, as it crashes directly on the face of the ebony reptile.

The Monodrake whimpers in pain again, which is actually the first time that we went close to actually damaging it. Upon closer inspection, the Monodrake's face has some slashes and grazes, finally spilling a few blood.

Asuka kneels beside me, and looks at Kensuke. "He's still alive, but it would be advisable to treat within the next hour or so. Also, it seems that his right leg and left rib are fractured. And judging from the small amount of bleeding, his inner organs thankfully haven't been damaged." I gape at the mecha pilot in surprise.

"How do you know these things?" I ask incredulously. She ignores me, gently and easily picking up Kensuke. She's pretty strong if she can lift a boy who is taller and heavier than her.

"On the battlefield, injuries can be fatal," Asuka starts, then she urges us to follow her. Suzumi and I nod our heads and we head back to where the rest of the Utopics have gathered. "As such, I must be prepared to give first-aid treatment, so I have adequate knowledge in these things." Asuka never ceases to impress me.

"T-thank you so much…" Suzumi thanks the mecha pilot softly, as she smiles softly through her tears. Asuka glares at her for a few seconds, but doesn't verbally respond.

As we approach the group, everyone seems restless. While Tokiko is finally angry and battle-ready (I still don't know why she's so scary and strong when mad; it's a mystery worth looking into), even she can't defeat that beast alone. In fact, Chihaya and Norio are helping her out to the best of their abilities.

Chihaya confuses the Monodrake with his quick space board, tackling the drake on its blind spots and utilizing a hit-and-run strategy. Norio is attacking the creature's unprotected underbelly, which seems to have some effect at the least. And Tokiko is focusing her attacks on the creature's head, tossing rocks and other debris while evading its attacks.

Then we have Harukaze, Cass and Shintaro throwing small pieces of debris, which further annoys the Monodrake. Even though the other Utopics are not the best of fighters, they still try to fight…

"We have to believe that we can take down that beast!" Zange cries, trying his best to alleviate everyone's worries. "Kensuke bravely stepped in to save his friends. We should repay his bravery by taking this monster down!"

"Yes…" Suzumi chimes in, her face back to normal and grinning again. "For Kensuke… And for our freedom!"

Asuka continues to treat Kensuke with some first-aid things that she knows. While she is undoubtedly one of the most capable of fighting from all of us, we at least have Tokiko and the others to rely on for now, since the mecha pilot is busy trying to help Kensuke.

We all anxiously look at the three Utopics. Sadly, it seems to be a downhill battle.

The massive floor guardian swipes its deadly claw at Chihaya, finally hitting him. Thankfully only his board was scratched, but that was enough for the space surfer to lose balance and fall off. He lands by rolling on the floor, so his bones aren't broken, thankfully.

Tokiko continue to shower the Monodrake with smaller rocks to its head. However, this only serves to further aggravate the monster. The drake continues to thrash about, lashing out at the timer.

The drake's bulky arm accidentally bumps the timer head on. Thankfully it wasn't an actual attack, but this was still enough to send Tokiko careening away from the huge monster.

"Tokiko!" Zange screams in fear, and everyone else gasps as the timer takes the full brunt of the (accidental) attack. As she falls to the ground, the virtual gladiator stops attacking the monster and runs toward Tokiko.

"Whoa, gotcha!" Norio says, catching the timer right before she crashes onto the floor. Norio holds her up in a princess carry, as he examines the girl's face and moves her bangs aside, showing her forehead and eyes. Since Tokiko's bangs are usually covering her forehead, this is new.

"Yo, timer girl. You alright?" Tokiko slowly opens her eyes. She is slightly bruised, but thankfully she isn't bleeding. What a tough girl!

"O-oh…! Thank you… um, what's your name again…?" Tokiko asks absentmindedly. It seems that her anger has subsided, meaning she's in no condition to fight now!

"Norio Iwata," Norio answers casually, then he suddenly jumps out of the way, narrowly avoiding being smashed into paste by the massive foreleg of the black drake. "Don't forget it!"

"O-okay…" Tokiko mutters, and upon looking closer I can see that she is blushing slightly. The gladiator then lets her down, allowing her to stand up on her own. She seems to have some scratches and wounds, but she seems okay. I mean, she is still standing.

"This is getting out of hand," Seiko comments bitterly, shaking his head in disgust. "Can't someone just die so that everyone else can leave?" Seiko is STILL being a bastard, I see. He doesn't even TRY to help.

I mean, even Shiro, the top candidate for most timid of the Utopics, is trying to help by distracting the monster and pelting it with small rocks. While her actions are pretty much useless against the Monodrake, at least she is trying.

"If you want someone to die so badly, why don't YOU kill yerself, eh!?" Cass snarls, her temper mixed with fear and disgust. "I've just had ENOUGH with everything in here! We're all gonna fuckin' die! We CAN'T take that thing down!"

"C-Cass, calm down-" Yuki tries to calm down the hysterical painter, but he is immediately cut off.

"SHUT UP!" Cass shouts, but immediately quiets down. "We'll all going to die to this thing…"

Everyone else seems to be visibly affected by the painter's outburst. Shiro is now bawling, and so is Harukaze. Everyone else looks scared-and too much fear destroys us.

"I-I… I can't…!" Hayato shrieks in fear, as he crouches and covers his head as if he was doing an earthquake drill test. "S-she's right…! We shouldn't have tried to challenge the guardian in the first place!"

Even Hayato, the one who usually acts all loud and knightly, is cowering in fear. All of a sudden, my legs feel weak. Despair seeps into me like poisonous gas, choking me as my entire being feels like its energy is being sapped away...

...And all while the Monodrake slowly walks toward us, akin to a tiger stalking its prey.

"Asuka, why don't you sacrifice yourself?" Seiko suggests in a very polite manner (Which doesn't fit the words he's spouting). "Didn't you say you are ready to help all civilians?"

"What!? No, don't listen to that prick!" Dexter orders angrily. However, Asuka shakes her head.

"No, Seiko is right," Asuka states, suddenly standing up. "I am ready to give my life to protect all of you. As a soldier and member of the Japanese Mecha Army, I swear to keep everyone safe!"

Of course, Dexter doesn't have any of it. He blocks the mecha pilot's path with a defiant look on his face.

"Absolutely not, Asuka Minami! Listen, being a soldier doesn't mean you should kill yourself for civilians! You should consider your family! How do you think they would feel if you were to die!?" Asuka glares at the prodigy, and then she delivers a swift chop to his neck, causing him to faint. She picks him up and lets him lie down on the floor. Everyone else looks at Asuka with shock.

"Take care of him." Then, the mecha pilot races towards the Monodrake.

"W-wait! Asuka!" Zange shouts, but to no avail.

But then, the unexpected happened, causing Asuka to stop her advance. A small figure charges at top speed, ramming the Monodrake in its flank with tremendous force. The Monodrake teeters, but manages to stay on its elephant-like feet. It then glares at the new adversary. Smoke was covering the new figure, but its faint outline could be seen.

And while I wear glasses, that doesn't mean my vision is wonky, since I instantly recognized the shape.

"Monofairy!?"

* * *

The smoke finally cleared, and Monofairy in between us and the massive Monodrake. My whole mind was filled with worry as I stare incredulously. I mean, this is essentially a battle between a 3-foot tall pixie against a 50 foot long abomination. Obviously Monofairy is as good as toast here!

"Monofairy! You came to save us from thine vicious beast!?" Hayato bursts out in surprise. His stage actor persona seems to have reemerged in this strange and shocking turn of events.

"Uh, but what can a little fairy do against a dragon? This isn't a video games where fairies are strong against dragons, ya know..." Norio said, looking Monofairy with worry.

"Stand back," Monofairy suddenly commands in a stern manner, causing everyone else (Including me of course) to back away in surprise. An ethereal, bluish aura enveloped her, and all of a sudden Monofairy looks legitimately intimidating (Even for a three foot tall fair folk).

But then a large blue flame stops the monochromatic pixie dead in her tracks. And obviously, Monocifer comes out from the flames-as if he has just returned from the depths of Hell.

However, what is surprising is that he looks like he is about to burst in laughter

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Monocifer laughs rather loudly, with more blue flames erupting near him. "Why, I cannot believe this! YOU, trying to defy ME?" The small pixie was about to speak, but then the crazed headmaster stopped her from talking by nearly strangling her. His laughter immediately dissipated, and with it comes a very scary, angry look on his visage.

" **SO, YOU THINK YOU ARE ABOVE CONSEQUENCES!?** " Monocifer yells. Monofairy struggles, but the demon-angel hybrid's grip proved too strong. "What the hell did I say about interfering!?"

"H-hey!" Hayato stutters, but nevertheless, he stands up against the wicked headmaster. "U-unhand thine fair folk, y-you h-hellspawn!"

Monocifer glares at the engineer, shutting Hayato up. The vile headmaster then threw the innocent Monofairy to the ground. How mean!

"Hey, that's not nice! You shouldn't have done that!" Harukaze steps in, clearly furious at the headmaster. She then cradles the little girl, picking her up. "Are you alright…?"

Monofairy opens her eyes and coughs. She nods slowly, and floats away.

"Y-you think you can just TRAP these students with a monster..." Monofairy starts, with every word accompanied with a heavy wheeze. "Without any way... to defend themselves...?" Monocifer simply glares at his slave.

"I cannot believe you'd just DEFY me like that..." Monocifer is furious now, and he looks like he could kill someone. "Do you have an explanation for this!?" Monofairy stays vigilant despite the headmaster now glowering over her.

"From the start, I... I was worried about this battle. I knew there would be a catch," Monofairy says, her stamina coming back to her as she floats up to meet Monocifer eye to eye. "I couldn't turn a blind eye to this madness! Throwing kids into a gladiator-like battlefield without even giving them weapons? You are soulless!" At this, Monocifer unleashes a torrent of blue flames around, causing us Utopics to back off even more. Even the Monodrake is scared, and sits down in manner similar to a frightened puppy.

"Who died and gave the authority to you?"

"I don't care about that anymore," Monofairy says as she clenched her small fists. Her lips snarled with rage as she summoned electricity from her fists. How does she do that?

In a fit of anger, Monocifer stretches out his hand. From his palm, a stream of blue flames erupted, and they engulfed Monofairy.

"What the fuck, you sadistic asshole!?" Cass thunders, absolutely angry at the fact that he just roasted the little pixie. "She did something good, and you go and fuckin' burn em'!?" That's new, considering Cass was very suspicious of the little pixie before. I guess she finally trusts the magical fairy.

As soon as the blue flames of Monocifer dissipated, we all see Monofairy, encased in a small forcefield-though bubble would be a more accurate description.

"You're safe!" Chihaya cheers. I guess he really likes Monofairy, doesn't he? The space surfer then replaces his lazy look for a more intimidating and serious face. This is new.

"… You've got some nerve trying to hurt little Monofairy here." Chihaya then raises his fists in some sort of fighting stance (Not sure exactly what martial art it is, I'm a geneticist not a fighter) as he hops from foot to foot.

"If you're gonna hurt Monofairy, then you're gonna have to tussle with-"

The space surfer was instantly interrupted as he just falls to the ground, unconscious. What the heck happened?

"H-hey, what's wrong Chi-Chi!?" Tokiko kneels and tries to wake up the space surfer. Norio then kneels down as well and scans his body.

"It's like the dude was hit by something…" He then stares at Monocifer accusingly. "The hell did ya do to him?" The deranged headmaster just scowls at the gladiator. He's really not in a good mood.

"I just put him to sleep. He was annoying me," Monocifer explains with frightening strictness. He then flaps his wings and hovers above the ground.

The psychotic demon floats up high above Monofairy. The pixie responds by intensifying the electricity in her fists. Then, Monocifer raises his hand, and it suddenly ignites a gigantic blue ball of flame.

An intense heat boils the entire room. Immediately, I feel sticky as my sweat drips faster than a leaking faucet. All of us look at the giant ball of blue death with horror.

" **I WILL TURN YOU INTO ASHES AND SEND YOU TO THE CREMATORIUM-WHERE YOU TRULY BELONG!** " Monocifer yells threateningly as he brings down his hand. The giant sapphire sphere of flame also falls down, akin to a meteor striking down towards the Earth. I screamed in fear and hid behind Suzumi, powerlessly watching the battle unfold.

However, Monofairy decides to use a magic spell of her own. In fact, what transpires next becomes strikingly similar to a magical girl anime.

The monochromatic fairy holds out her arms in a cross-like position, summoning a strange, blue circle with inscriptions on it just behind her. From the said circle, a huge torrent of electricity gushed forth, and disintegrated the giant blue sphere.

Everyone (Except Monocifer) stares at our caretaker with awe.

"Whoa, did she just summon a lightning storm!?" Shintaro exclaims, his eyes sparkling. "She's like a really powerful magic fairy!" Suddenly, it makes sense for her to bravely stand up against the Monodrake. She could certainly take that thing down!

" **YOU FOOL!** " Monocifer yells, absolutely livid. His eyes flare up like a bonfire; alight with eerie blue flames. His temper has skyrocketed, and suddenly the entire combat room grows dim. With each passing second, all the lights turn off one by one, and we are now blanketed by an inky black darkness.

The darkness gave way as red lights suddenly flooded the room and a warning siren blared on. I woke up from my shock and noticed the only entrance closing.

"Normally, I wouldn't waste my powers on you of all people." The ungodly headmaster's entire being was emitting some sort of energy-yet somehow I can't seem to pinpoint on what it is exactly.

"But, since you pissed me off, I'm going to have to give you a VERY special punishment." The powerful entity of black and white lets out a primal roar similar to that of a demon's. No-to that of Satan himself. All the Utopic look at Monocifer in horror.

And with such an ominous and fearful atmosphere and situation, Monofairy is paralyzed in terror, her eyes wide and her pupils dilated. If I were her, I would be screaming so loud in the inside.

The whole room changed into its lockdown status. The walls and floors turned into a scarlet color, strengthening the integrity of its foundation as I hear multiple Utopics shriek in surprise. In its high red alert status, I guess no one would be able to leave the room until Monocifer calmed down.

The next thing that happens was a fist hitting the little fairy right on her face. She torpedoed straight towards the wall and she bounced off comically. The enraged demon followed her and continued landing vicious and tremendous attacks on her, like a savage animal tearing apart its prey. Monofairy didn't even bother to dodge or block but instead absorbed all the punishment by summoning a forcefield around her.

To my right, Suzumi winced from the onslaught. And I wanted personally to smack Monocifer and his beautiful face for his decision on not deciding to end the fight when Kensuke was hurt. But seeing Monocifer lash out like a crazy demon utterly scares me. Not even a furious Tokiko could dare hope to match up against the ungodly being known as Monocifer.

No one dares to interfere with the battle between the two magical beings-not even the T. rex or the Monodrake. The two titanic lizards are just cowering in fear, watching on hopelessly.

"Ugh… My head hurts…" Dexter says, finally waking up. "Hey, Asuka, how dare you-"

The prodigy immediately stopped whatever he was going to say and just stared at the ongoing duel. He stood up and dusted off his clothes, marveling the sight of the battling beings.

Two figures-obviously Monofairy and Monocifer-fly across the now scarlet red combat room at high speeds as the two looked like streaks of light from just how fast they are. Multiple fireballs, electric bolts, icicle blades and other various elemental attacks flood the combat room as if the weather became wonky.

Both fairy and demon-angel attack and move at speeds I can't even begin to comprehend. One fraction of a second they were right in front of us, and then suddenly they appeared in the far corner of the room.

In fact, massive sonic booms crack the battlefield with immense force as various shattered debris fly across the room like a storm-except one of rocks and concrete. This means that the two must be fighting at speeds way beyond the speed of sound. Unbelievable!

"Oi, they're going too fast," Norio notes, trying his best to keep up with the two but failing. "Can't even see their movements and attacks!" The gladiator is right about that. However, I did not expect Monofairy could actually fight back against-

A large shockwave stops my train of thought, and the ground shook with the force of a catastrophic explosion. For a few seconds, smoke covers the battlefield. But by the time the smoke clears, a massive crater formed. And on the crater is the beaten form of Monofairy.

"Monofairy!" Suzumi cries out. Everyone else gasps in shock-even Seiko and Misao.

As if descending from heaven, Monocifer slowly floats down and picks up Monofairy. He then tosses her aside, and she lands right in front us like a discarded doll.

Ominously, Monocifer floats above us like a vulture awaiting a corpse. His face says it all; this isn't the jovial Monocifer we all know. And no one dares to speak back at him.

"In the end, you're still weaker than me," Monocifer says coldly, glaring at Monofairy with soulless eyes.

"Heh, so this is how it is?" The monochromatic pixie coughs as she floats to meet Monocifer eye to eye. She is still weak, but manages to stay aloft.

"You won't give them any sort of protection to help them out in killing the floor guardians? And here I thought you love despair..." Huh? What's Monofairy saying now!? Monocifer lands on the floor gracefully, and then turns his attention to the fairy.

"What are you blabbering about now... Oh..." As if an idea crossed his head, he smirks. "I see where you're getting at. Why didn't I think of this in the first place?" Okay, I am now really worried about what going on right now.

"I like your idea, Monofairy. Now, let's see..." Monocifer snaps his fingers, as if something is supposed to happen. Well sure enough, something _does_ happen.

Without any warning, my Holo-ID rings, and I hold it out in front of me. In the screen, there is a new set of rules for the combat room.

 **RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR COMBAT ROOM – By Monocifer!**

 ***UPDATE* 1. Students may not leave the room or quit fighting when the battle starts. Students may only leave if the floor guardian is successfully killed by the students or one or more of the students die to the guardian, and to the guardian only.**

 **2\. No harm can be done to the Headmaster during the battle. Any students who tries to harm the Headmaster will be instantly executed. Even if by accident.**

 **3\. Students may choose to cooperate or compete with each other. Killing of other students while there is a battle going on is allowed, but the battle will continue on.**

 ***UPDATE* 4. In battle, students will be provided with weapons. Under no circumstances can you bring the weapons out of the Combat Room.**

 ***UPDATE* 5. There will be a time limit in each battle. If the none of the students are killed by the floor guardian or if the students fail to kill the floor guardian within 10 minutes, all the students will immediately be executed.**

 **6\. Additional regulations may be added if deemed necessary by the Headmaster.**

My jaws drop at the revised rules. It's nice we get weapons now, but now there's a time limit!?

"Don't me wrong kids, I'm not doing this to help you kill the guardian with less effort. I'm just doing this to make things more _fun_ ," Monocifer explains, his lips curling into a cat-like smirk. "Besides, despair is best tasted when given false hope. Just because you have weapons, that doesn't mean you'll win..."

"Holy hell, you are INSANE!" Cass exasperates. She is visibly shaking in anger, yet I could sense fear somehow.

"HOWEVER! Monofairy will have to face the _consequences_ for disobeying me," Monocifer states without a trace of mercy, emphasizing the word "consequences". Monofairy is visibly shocked, and she looks down on the floor, a dejected look on her face.

"At least I got you to change the rules- GACK!"

Monocifer then holds up Monofairy by her collar, and brings his face dangerously close to hers.

"You think I'm doing this for you? Fat chance," Monocifer says. "Now, I don't want to erase your existence since you're a perfect slave, so instead...

A strange, obsidian colored gem materialized out of nowhere on Monofairy's forehead. Then, Monocifer unhanded her and snapped his fingers.

Monofairy's face suddenly contorted into one of intense pain, as if she were being tortured brutally. She screamed and fell to the floor, as the black gem on her forehead emitted some strange black electricity.

"W-what are you doing!?" Zange stammers. Monofairy breathes in and out heavily, and weakly looked up at Monocifer.

"Y-you... i-implanted a... curse on me...?" The beaten fairy manages to choke out some words, and she honestly looked like a wreck. Monocifer then approached her and stepped on her head cruelly.

"Why kill you if I can just torture you for my own satisfaction? Dying right now is no fun after all~" Monocifer chirps cheerfully. What the actual HELL? So instead of killing her, he just chooses to make her suffer endlessly!? And to makes matters worse, he can do it at a moment's notice.

"You are one sick, twisted, demented monster," Dexter grimaces, showing the ungodly hybrid a face of absolute disgust. I second that, Dexter.

"Now let this be an example for everyone!" Monocifer suddenly perks up, and his smile returns to decorate his angelic face. He claps his hands, then the combat room returns to its normal state. All the scarlet highlights vanish like the wind, and the red sirens stop, bringing back the vast whiteness that room originally had. And of course, the steel shutter is removed from the exit, and it opens as well.

Bless karma for that. We can all finally escape!

Monocifer then stares at the Monodrake without saying a word. The Monodrake somehow understands this and nods in response, and then a hatch opens up. The ebony beast that has tormented us so much has finally retreated.

"This will be the first and last time I'll let you leave like this," Monocifer comments, a weird grin emerging on his face. He turns to face all of us and bows like a gentleman. "Now let's see that pathetic hope of yours grow, just so I can crush it! To that, I bid you adieu."

And with that calm and sophisticated farewell, our insane captor teleports away in an instant, gone without a trace. Naturally, everyone flocked the little fairy after that.

"Are you alright, Monofairy!?" Zange asks worriedly, his face paling just examining the various burns, wounds and cuts that the benevolent pixie has sustained.

"Yes… I can easily recover, but let's focus on getting Kensuke back to health!" Our caretaker cries, her kind eyes bearing into Kensuke. How is it that even after she's been cursed with that immensely painful torture device and STILL worry about others? She's truly a saint

I then notice Norio picking up the unconscious space surfer on one hand over his shoulder.

"Welp, I gotta help this dude too," Norio adds.

"Guys, let's go to the infirmary! Kensuke needs to be treated as soon as possible!" Suzumi announces. Asuka nods and pick him up. She checks for a pulse.

"He definitely need treatment as soon as possible. Let's hurry along," Asuka states matter-of-factly.

"Wait, let me teleport you all to the infirmary!" Monofairy suggests, flying near Kensuke. "I may be weak now, but I have just enough energy left to do this." Suzumi and I nod, and she envelops all the Utopics with a bright light.

* * *

 **UTOPIA ACADEMY – INFIRMARY**

Upon teleporting into the infirmary, Asuka immediately lets Kensuke rest on the bed. Suzumi and I stay beside him while Monofairy sprinkles some uh, pixie dust. I eye her warily.

"Oh, this is just my healing powder. It disinfects wounds, closes them and stops harmful bacteria from attacking your body. He should be safe from further infection," Monofairy reassures Suzumi and me, giving us a cute and gentle smile. So she can cook, is kind, and can heal people? Why did I ever suspect her in the first place…

"T-Thank you so much for saving Kensuke's life!" Suzumi beams, crying tears of joy. She gently caresses Kensuke's crimson red hair. "I… I don't even want to think of what would have happen if you didn't intervene…"

"Yeah… Thank you so much, Monofairy," I thank the little pixie sincerely. Thanks to her, I have a future-no, Kensuke has a future.

"Think nothing of it," Monofairy states, her gentle smile growing wider. "It's the least I could do as a caretaker." She then sprinkles her pixie dust into the rest of the Utopics. I was so focused on Kensuke that I forgot all the other Utopics are in here.

"Hey, my scratches are healing up!" Tokiko exclaims, looking at her wounds as they close.

"Thanks, Monofairy," Norio says sincerely. "And hey, looks like the space dude is waking up!"

Sure enough, Chihaya lazily opens his eyes. He yawns and stretches his arms as ig he has just woken up from a deep slumber. He then immediately tenses up, which of course surprises me.

"… Did that demon hurt you in any way?" Chihaya asks in a calm yet stern voice. Monofairy giggles and shakes her head.

"It's quite alright, Chihaya! Thanks for sticking up for me, though." At this, Chihaya relaxes and he now sports a small grin. But just seconds after that, Monofairy suddenly drops down, looking exhausted.

"Monofairy!" Chihaya yells in concern, which is quite possibly the most emotion he's shown for now. Monofairy smiles weakly, but stays on the ground.

"I think I'm better off walking this time..." After that intense beat down and all that inhumane torture, she deserves rest. Chihaya sighs and backs off a bit, allowing the pixie some space.

I then spot Asuka bowing her head in respect and thanks. "My thanks, Monofairy. I feel as if the wounds I have sustained from the previous battle do not exist." That's amazing! Monofairy giggles weakly, but still manages to smile lovingly at all of us.

"But didn't you say Monocifer has you completely under his thumb?" Misao wonders, stepping forward.

"Well, that's true," Monofairy interjects, her eyes hardening at the mention of the unholy hellspawn. She then pounds her chest with her fist, her determination shooting up. "But that doesn't mean I should always yield. You all showed me how powerful hope can be; so I intend to stay hopeful! That's why, I decided to fight back… And also, I cannot allow any of you to die in any way…"

It seems our efforts have inspired Monofairy to rebel against our captor. However, the look on everyone else's faces prove otherwise. I can't blame them, after that has happened even I wouldn't be 'inspired', for a lack of a better term...

Everyone else seem scared… Hope is definitely not the correct word to describe what we were all feeling right now.

"I guess we should go now," Seiko suggests, heading towards the exit. "I'm just glad I'm still alive." And with that, the jerk of a Utopic has left. Soon enough, all the other Utopics leave in silence, though some say "get well soon" towards the animal tamer, while others continue to give their thanks to Monofairy. I guess everyone else is just tired, so they leave.

Before long, the only ones left in the infirmary (aside from Kensuke) were Suzumi, Monofairy, and I. For that I am thankful for, since I desire privacy.

"I will be treating Kensuke now. Please excuse us," Monofairy bows as she pushes the bed of Kensuke towards the farther corner of the infirmary, then she covers the area with curtains. I guess she's going to try and fix his bones and fractures. But I hope Monofairy doesn't strain himself, since she very tired now...

Regardless, I sigh in relief. I'm so glad Kensuke is going to be alive. How could I live through life without him? I sit down on one of the extra beds and look forlornly at the ceiling. Noticing my sorrow, Suzumi sits down beside me as she pats my back gently.

"Rough day, huh Miku?" I look up to my best friend. She looks genuinely worried, her smile no longer visible.

I grin sheepishly, trying to fight off all the negative thought swarming in my head. "Yeah, pretty rough. After all, Kensuke nearly died…" Suzumi was quiet after that. There was a heavy silence in the air, which is rare given I am in close proximity to the most talkative person I know.

"Hey, Suzumi," I call, and she looks at me while cocking her head slightly. I take it as a confirmation to continue speaking.

"If I didn't speak out about going and fighting the Monodrake… Maybe Monofairy wouldn't have to force herself to save us, and Kensuke wouldn't have to get hurt so badly…"

The teen idol's gaze hardens as I said that. Without a word, she embraces me.

"Don't blame yourself, Miku… You were only speaking based on what you truly believed in," Suzumi consoles in a gentle tone as she tries to comfort me. I don't entirely believe her. Kensuke wouldn't have to be hurt so badly if we didn't have to fight in the first place, right?

"I…" I trail off, my strength and resolve slowly sapping away. "…I don't know anymore. This place is just… too much for me."

Suzumi's hug tightens, as if protecting me from something, even though it's just the two of us in this area of the room

"Kensuke would never blame you for that… And we're both still here with you… Just the three of us, remember?"

"Yeah. Just the three of us…"

I return the hug of Suzumi, bearing into her as if she were an older sister that I never had. I allow time to pass by as the two of us just silently embrace each other as we feel each other's warmth. This feeling fills me with hope. With determination, determination that we will indeed leave this school, together.

I lose my sense of time as the hours pass by. Suzumi and I huddled close to each other, just like that one time when we were stuck in a shed while waiting for the rain to stop. Speaking of which…

"Hey Suzumi," I call her name softly, and she smiles.

"What is it, Miku?" I then recount my fond memories from when the two of us were in grade school.

"Remember the last time we cuddled this close before?" The teen idol nods, and her face brightens up.

"Of course!" She giggles softly as she smiles and looks at the ceiling, recalling all those tales of our youth. "The both of us didn't bring an umbrella that day, and then the rain came tumbling by!" I playfully punch her shoulder as I recall another event.

"Yeah, it was your idea in the first place," I tease, smirking at my best friend. "You kept on telling me that the sun was happy that day, yet look what happened!"

Both of us exploded in a fit of giggles, and we also made sure our laughs weren't too loud as to disturb the ongoing healing of Kensuke. Such fond memories indeed.

"I also remember that Kensuke came by, panting as he held two umbrellas!" Suzumi recounts. Even as a child, Kensuke was particularly mature. Though he won't admit it now, as a kid he was pretty clingy towards us.

"Yes, indeed. How I miss the simple days," I remark.

"But you know," Suzumi starts, her eyes glimmering like the night sky filled with stars. "Time goes by quicker than you think. Having fun, eating awesome foods, becoming a Utopic, crushing on animal tamers-"

"-Suzumi," I interrupt her nonchalantly. She laughs it off, but apologizes either way.

"Anyways, time never stops." She then turns to me with a joyous expression on her face. "That's why we should always believe that will get out of here. We have a future ahead of us. I strongly believe that this isn't our stop. That's why I am hopeful."

Optimistic, friendly, bubbly, yet surprisingly wise. There's nothing else I could ask for in a best friend.

"Good news, you two!" Monofairy calls, as she pushes back Kensuke's bed into its original spot. He was wearing a white patient's gown, and it seems he is still asleep.

"Kensuke's in stable condition now! He's fine now, and he should be able to stay awake by tomorrow evening." Monofairy is the best! She's a great mother figure, an excellent cook, and an amazing nurse!

"Thank you so much, Monofairy! I really appreciate all the help you've given us," Suzumi says excitedly.

"Now he's still asleep, but I need one of you to stay and sleep with him for the night. He can't go to his dorm for now, and it's almost Night Time," Monofairy explains. Suzumi then cracks a silly smile at me. Oh boy.

"Obviously Miku is going to sleep with Kensuke!" Knew it. I instantly turn red, and shake my head vigorously.

"No, no! Y-you stay the night with him," I retort, still feeling rather embarrassed. Monofairy notices this and giggles.

"I see! So you like Kensuke! How cute!" Monofairy chirps, spinning around in glee. Oh no, now another one knows about my crush!

"Please don't tell anyone else, Monofairy!" I plead the monochromatic caretaker.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about it!" Monofairy then snaps her finger, and her hospital gown is removed. "So, who will stay with him?" I immediately speak, not wanting to let Suzumi one me up.

"Suzumi will stay tonight. I'll stay tomorrow night instead. Deal?" Suzumi nods a little too enthusiastically.

"Okay then! But you have to promise me that you will confess to Kensuke tomorrow night!" W-w-what!?

"Why!?" I ask incredulously, but I immediately cover my mouth, seeing as Kensuke is still sleeping.

"Because he needs to know now," Suzumi answers calmly. "And you two need to start dating now, of course!" My blush grows more furious-akin to a spreading wildfire.

"F-fine…" I say reluctantly and then sigh. I was planning to confess sooner or later anyways…

"Hee hee! How cute. Well, now that that's settled with, good night girls!" Monofairy beams, then she walks away. She's really much more pleasant than that evil headmaster of ours. I now have a new found respect for her.

 **DING DONG DING DONG**

Suddenly, the Holo-TV boots up. Monocifer appears behind the holographic TV screen.

"Good evening, my dear students! It is now 10 in the evening, so Night Time starts now. The cafeteria doors will be locked shortly. I hope you all have a good night's sleep!"

The Holo-TV then shuts down. It seems that the cafeteria is one of the few places which gets locked during Night Time. I then see that Suzumi crosses her arms and puffs her cheeks.

"Hmph, Monocifer ruined the mood," Suzumi pouts. She then waves her hands at me. "Well, good night Miku! Sleep well tonight, okay?" I nod in response, and then I head towards the exit.

It's been a long day. A lot of things has happened, and so far we've been stuck here for one night. So far, there's been no rescue attempts, and no escape routes. Yet with Kensuke and Suzumi by my side, I know we can all escape.

After all, Monocifer made one big mistake: trapping three best friends who'll stick together through thick or thin!

* * *

 **Well finally, the boss battle is over. Whew, looks like Kensuke nearly became a snack! Anyways, how did you feel about that chapter? Remember, this one underwent heavy revision, so please forgive if the quality is not up to par.**

 **Right after I post this chapter, I'm putting up a new poll for the next free time event. You can vote for two people again, and you may vote Chihaya and Cass again if you so truly desire. However, let's give the other characters the spotlight this time!**

 **Anyways, on to the reviews!**

 **IfTimeWasStill - Massacre indeed. The Monodrake is truly a ferocious beast! And I'm also surprised about the positive feedback to the Combat Room. Thanks.**

 **Haha, no one is safe, not even your favorite characters... *insert evil laugh***

 **See, this is why I need your honest opinions. Thanks, I will strive to improve even more. I won't be surprised if this chapter is all over the place, thou** **gh...**

 **PSISomething - Haha, thanks! Really, one of the most interesting!? Ah, you flatter me! There are a lot more interesting SYOCs out there, like "Of Magic, Mystique and Memoirs" or "Clinic of Despair" (My personal favorites!). But thanks anyway! You people give me strength to write on.**

 **Shyjoker - Oh man, be careful about spoilers! Hope they aren't too angry with you...**

 **By the way, I incorporated your drawing in this chapter. Hope you don't mind! ;) I absolutely adore your art!**

 **Yeah, Tokiko definitely needs to sleep. After such a grueling battle too...**

 **Guest - Wow, thank you for your review! I really appreciate it.**

 **Well, Asuka is even more of a badass here. I also noticed that Asuka has become quite the fan favorite.**

 **To be honest, I have no idea if they are following still or not. But no matter, I will still continue writing this! Besides, I can always PM them about their OCs, so no worries there. :) But still, thanks for worrying and stuff. But its going to take a hell lot more to make me stop writing this!**

 **Nemris - Yeah I know right? They actually went and fought the floor guardian. These kids are crazy!**

 **Well, its a good thing that our resident cute fairy saved the Utopics then!**

 **Ah yes, my bad. I hope this chapter compensates then, since Norio takes on the Monodrake pretty well.**

 **Everyone, thank you all! Don't forget to review, and give your honest opinion. It really helps me improve.**

 ***UPDATE* I updated the chapter and changed stuff. I HOPE it still keeps Monocifer as scary...**

 **Apex out!**


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